


Defenders of Aurita

by AnchoredTether



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abuse, Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, All the characters are slightly older than canon, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Blood and Injury, Dragons, F/M, Fantastic Racism, Fantasy, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Keith and Coran come in later, Magic, Monsters and Mana, Slavery, Slow Burn, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, The DnD AU no one asked for, Torture, Violence, background ships include Kallura and Romatt, basically a Plance Anastasia AU and Voltron Skyrim AU, dark themes, lots of references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2019-06-05 11:00:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 46,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15169268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnchoredTether/pseuds/AnchoredTether
Summary: Meklavar has a formidable secret. Pike has an objective for which he's willing to kill. Despite their odds, they might have a chance of realizing their seemingly impossible desires if they fight for them together. Revelations are brought to light, quests align, and their hope lies in the power of a common cause.Aurita is on the brink of desolation and it will require more than courage and sacrifice to save what is left. As the stakes continue to rise, what was once a fight for restoring a broken kingdom turns into a war far more sinister.][Defenders of Aurita Tumblr][





	1. Aftermath

"So... Dakin is dead? Like, for good?" Block asked to no one in particular.

After the Coranic Dragon was burned by the fire it magically dissolved and left everyone wondering if it was truly dead. The piles of gold which disappeared when Dakin revealed himself had returned to the lair and appeared to be tangible since Pike was idly grabbing handfuls of coins and letting them roll off his hands to clank back into the piles.

"It appears so." Valayun looked over at the sorcerer. "This means you can save your village, correct?"

"Dakin said he siphoned off their life force, and they could only be saved if he was defeated." Meklavar said, raising a hand to her chin in thought. "Their life force has probably returned to their bodies now that he's gone, but I think we'll still have to figure out a way to change them back."

"They're stone, right?" Pike asked. "Couldn't you just use your transmutation gloves to change them back?"

Meklavar frowned. "I'm not sure. Using it to change food into oil is one thing, but altering the physical characteristics of a living being? There's too many complications to consider. I think this problem needs to be solved with magic."

"So we need to find a sorcerer? Or a wizard?" He looked around at the piles of gold surrounding him. "Shouldn't be too hard to pay one to help us out."

"Paid sorcerers are tricky." Block explained. "Most sorcerers for hire are actually cons."

"Really? _Most_ of them are? That's so deceiving!"

" _Says the assassin thief._ " Meklavar interjected. 

"Hey! I'm an  _honest_  assassin thief!"

"So you  _are_  a thief?"

His ears pinned back in annoyance. "N-no, you just caught me in your words!"

"You mean, the cat caught your tongue?"

" _WHAT!?_ "

"Guys, let's focus." Jiro stepped in, his brows furrowed. "I know of someone who may be able to help us. Someone we can  _trust._ "

Block frowned at the paladin with a dubious expression. He glanced at Meklavar. "I'm not sure I trust that he trusts someone we can trust."

"I'm sure Jiro means well." Valayun offered. "He helped us defeat the Coranic Dragon. We're a team now, we can't go doubting ourselves." She looked at the whole group gathered before her with eyes full of hope. "We saved this land from a great evil, and if we continue to work as a team as we did against Dakin, there's no telling what we could accomplish. Block, we can save your village. Meklavar, we can find your family heirloom. Jiro, we can help you avenge your twin brother. But we can only fulfill our quests if we do them  _together._ "

"We do make a pretty good team." Meklavar said. She was used to working alone but had to admit that working with the sorcerer, paladin, archer, and thief was rewarding. They accomplished feats together which she could never do on her own. She turned to Pike, who had no self-proclaimed quest as the others had. "What about you? Are you on any kind of quest?"

His eyebrows rose, completely caught off guard by her question as he continued to play with the gold coins. "Me? Quests? Nah, I prefer to go with the flow. Address things as they come."

"Suuure." Her expression wasn't convinced. "Are you still going to accompany us?"

"Of course! Like Valayun said, we can only accomplish stuff together. Which means you need  _me_."

"I don't think that's exactly what she was getting at."

"Block, where is your village located?" Jiro asked.

"Uhh, about four days journey from the Inn where we met you? Or wait... that was your twin brother." Block bit his lower lip. "Man this is confusing."

"I'd say it's a week's worth of traveling east from here." Meklavar said. "If we had horses, it'd probably only be two days' ride."

"The sorcerer who can help us is on the other side of the Feldakor Mountains... it'll be a long journey." Jiro looked at each team member in turn. "Are you willing to travel long and hard through darkness and danger, for the sake of saving the innocent and vanquishing evil?"

"He really does sound like Shiro." Block sighed, raising a hand. "Count me in."

"You have my bow." Valayun said with a twirl of one of her arrows.

"And my axe!" Meklavar added.

"And my -!" Pike pulled out a handful of knives, lockpicks, throwing spikes and needles. "... _precision tools_."

"Then let us be off to save Block's village!" Jiro thrust his sword into the air dramatically as if he were giving some riling speech to a group of soldiers. 

Meklavar sighed. "He _acts_ like Shiro, too."

 


	2. Avarice and Civility

When the group got together to figure out how they could possibly carry _every single gold coin_ out of the lair, Valayun revealed she had an enchanted satchel that could hold an indefinite amount of items. They took turns hoarding coins into the small compartment until nearly half of the treasure was gone.

"I think this is our limit." She said, testing its weight in her hand. "The enchantment is wearing thin and it's starting to reflect its weight. If we stuff it with any more it might not hold."

"This should be plenty." Jiro gave her a nod. "I trust you can be a reliable treasurer for the team."

"Because it's literally treasure." Block said with a laugh.

"We'll be able to afford all the food and lodging that we could possibly need!" Meklavar piped. "We definitely need to hit up an armory and upgrade all our gear and weapons, though."

"Sounds like a plan." Jiro agreed. "The sorcerer I know lives a few miles outside of Darmuth. Let's head that direction and find an inn to stay the night."

 

* * *

 

 

"Can't any of you read?" The bartender pulled out a giant dagger on the group and pointed it towards Pike. "The sign says no mutts."

"PPPFFFT clearly I'm _feline_." Pike said with a scoff, placing his hands on his hips. "And the correct term is khaliit."

"Whatever."

"Why can't he stay here?" Valayun protested with a frown. "We're _paying_." She pulled out a handful of more gold coins from her satchel and slammed them on the counter. "We'll even pay extra."

"It's not like he has fleas." Block contributed, glancing Pike up and down and whispering, "You… _don't_ actually have fleas, do you?" Pike's ears were pinned back in annoyance as he quietly hissed, " _Noooooooo!_ "

"His kind are nothing but thieves and murderers and I don't want any of that here." The bartender nudged his dagger out as a last warning. "So get out."

"But he-!" Meklavar started to argue, looking ready to fight, but Pike held her back and covered her mouth with a hand.

"It's alright, I'm leaving." He sighed, releasing the dwarf and heading out towards the door. "I'll just sleep outside."

"Can't we stay at another inn?" Jiro offered.

"The closest inn is thirteen miles from here." The bartender said. "You can try your luck there."

The group looked wistfully at the door as it closed behind their exited comrade. After a brief moment of silence, Valayun finally spoke up. "I suppose we'll just have to sleep here tonight." She slid the extra coins back into her bag. "One of us will have to make sure Pike gets some dinner."

Meklavar slightly raised her hand. "I'll go bring some food to him."

 

* * *

 

 

"Where are you, you… 'ninja assassin'?" Meklavar narrowed her eyes into the darkness, the faint light illuminated from the inn barely reaching the forest line.

"Kinda defeats the purpose if I tell you where I am." His voice materialized behind her and the dwarf suppressed the urge to scream and only let out a low wheeze of surprise as she turned around to face the khaliit. He gave her a toothy grin. "You come out here to feed the feral?"

She looked down at the two plates she held, one in each hand. "Actually I came out here to eat _with_ you." She shrugged, her heavy armor clanking as she did so. "Seemed more… civil, that way. I guess."

Pike blinked, genuinely surprised. His whole life he was accustomed to being treated like nothing more than an animal to the point where he made self-deprecating jokes about it. He quickly hid his shock by giving her a cunning smirk. "So does that make this a daaaate?"

"I- what? No!" She shoved his plate towards him and stormed off to a nearby tree stump where she promptly sat and began stuffing a drumstick into her mouth. "I don't have to eat with you, you know. I could easily return to the nice, _warm_ inn."

He laughed, taking a seat next to her on the stump. While it was a large tree, it barely gave enough room for both of them. His body pressed up against her cool armor as he looked up at the night sky. "Yeah, but you wouldn't be able to see views as nice as this."

Meklavar looked up at the stars, her amber eyes engrossed in the velvet beauty. After a few moments of silent reflection, her eyes drifted down to gaze at him. "Why are you traveling with us, Pike?" He stopped chewing momentarily, glancing away as his ears pinned back. She wasn't too familiar with khaliit body language, but didn't animals swivel their ears back when they were angry or scared? "You're a thief, an assassin, you're everything that bartender accused you of being, and yet you still stick with us. It's not like you need to steal any of our money - we all have plenty - and while you could very well plan to murder us all in our sleep, I somehow doubt it. What's your reason for staying?"

Pike had so many possible comebacks to that question that it took him a minute to figure out which response to voice. "I know who you _really_ are…" He turned towards her, his face only inches away from hers, his blue eyes faintly glowing red from the reflected light. She stilled, her golden hues frozen in anticipation.

"And I'm pretty sure you're the only one who can help me…"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, "Khaliit" is poking fun at Skyrim.  
> There will be many more Skyrim references.
> 
> I know the chapters have been super short but the next few should be fairly longer!


	3. Revelations of the Past

"I know you ain't no dwarf."

Meklavar's eyes were wide with shock, her voice terse. "What gave it away?" She took so many precautions, thoroughly studying the traits and customs of dwarves to make sure no one saw through her disguise and yet this eccentric thief saw right through it all.

"I can _smell_ that you're an elf." It was something that none of the others would notice but was as blaringly obvious to Pike as sticking a giant red arrow over her head. "And judging by the fact that you're incredibly short for your species, you hide your ears with your helmet and your markings with that warpaint, and you're searching for your _family heirloom_ , of all things, you've gotta be the dragonborn, Princess Yekat-"

" _Don't!_ Say it." Meklavar had her axe raised dangerously close to his throat, her eyes narrowed into even sharper daggers. She realized in that moment that when she first met Pike and he was practically draped on top of her with the words _"So you're a dwarf_?" he was getting a whiff of her _scent_ and she wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed or frustrated. "You swear on your life right now that you won't tell anyone else."

"Well, that's one heck of a confirmation that my hunch was right."

" _Swear it._ "

"Okay, okay! I won't tell anyone." He let out a held breath when she lowered her axe. "They're going to find out eventually though. Once they find out what your family heirloom really is and who your family is." His mouth twisted into a frown. "Or if you ever take off your helmet."

"I know, I know. I wasn't expecting to be on a team when that time came." She said it almost bitterly as she continued to gorge her food.

Pike's expression changed into something more reverent, his voice barely above a whisper. "If your quest is really what I think it is… then you and I aren't so different."

"How so? You don't seem like royalty to me, although I don't know much about khaliit."

"Not royalty. Although that is flattering that you would think so." He said with a light-hearted laugh. "I think we both have the same goal in mind - to save our families from Lotor's reign."

Meklavar swallowed hard. "You're right. You already know my tragic story if you know my name. So what happened to your family?"

"Enslavement."

Her amber eyes narrowed in sympathy. "I'm so sorry, Pike. I've seen how Lotor treats his 'workforce.' How big is your family?"

"Immediate? Five. Mom, two brothers, and two sisters. Extended? Six. Sister in law, niece and nephew, uncle, aunt, and grandmother." He counted them off on his fingers. "So… eleven all together."

"Holy crow you have a big family!"

"Yeah, we live up to the khaliit stereotype that we breed in litters."

Both of them laughed, and for the first time in years, Meklavar felt at peace. She didn't dwell on her troubles, didn't wonder about her past, and didn't worry about her future. She barely knew the guy sitting next to her but felt like she had already gained a friend, albeit a strange one. He reminded her of someone she knew and the feeling of familiarity was comforting. "…Pike?" She spoke his name while looking back up at the constellations painted in the sky.

"Yeah?"

"Can I trust you?"

He turned his head to look at her. "Is this in reference to my profession or my race?" He could understand how one would be slow to trust an _assassin and thief_ but he knew many of his kind were dishonest in nature. It was hard for a khaliit to gain respect in the world when killing and stealing were their sought out talents for generations.

"Neither. It's in reference to you as a person." 

He let out a low hum. "I don't know… can I trust _you_ as a person? You're dragonborn. When we fought the Coranic dragon you did _nothing_ to stop it. Were you going to wait till we were all dead until you whipped out some dragon shouts? I don't know too much about dragonborn but can't you command dragons? Or something?"

"I-" She growled in frustration. "It wasn't like that! It _was_ a last resort but I wouldn't have let any of you die!" Her shoulders sunk as her voice lowered. "I… don't exactly know how to use my gifts. It's not like there's any other dragonborns to teach me."

Pike raised a brow. "Isn't a _dragon_ supposed to teach you?"

"A dragon? No, I'm supposed to _slay_ a dragon. Zarkon, to be exact."

"I know that, but couldn't another dragon teach you? I doubt all dragons are evil. I mean, there's gotta be at least one dragon out there who doesn't agree with Zarkon."

Meklavar's jaw went slack and she blinked several times as it dawned upon her. "Pike, you're a genius."

He shrugged. "I try."

"No, you're a genius. We're headed towards Darmuth. You know what's near Darmuth? Korvanjund."

"Korva-what now?"

"It's an ancient tomb where the first dragon was slaughtered. If any place will provide me answers, it's Korvanjund." She was quiet a moment as she mulled about in her thoughts, her eyes searching the stars again as if they would spell out all the secrets she needed to know. "So back to my original question… can I trust you? I want to help Block save his village and I'll give up my transmutation gloves if I have to, but… I'm going to leave the group after we find the sorcerer… and I want you to come with me."

"Me?" His ears perked up in surprise. "Why would you want me to come with you?"

Meklavar sighed. "I guess because you're the only one who would understand? Jiro is a _paladin_ , Block is basically a ray of sunshine and I can't see Valayun ever breaking any kind of laws."

"So you're saying you want me because I'm an assassin."

"Sort of? Yes? You and I both live in the gray spectrum of morality. I need someone who isn't afraid to bend the rules. I won't hesitate harming or even killing others if it means saving my family. I know you feel the same." She gave him a serious look, offering a slight nod. "And it seems our ultimate goals align so it makes sense to travel together."

Pike was silent a moment, his arms crossed as he stared out at nothing in particular, lost in thought. It was a lot to soak in even though he knew who Meklavar was from the start. He was always out on his own, fending for himself and fighting for his freedom. Why then, did he feel drawn towards the short elf and helping in her impossible quest? Perhaps it was because his ultimate goal felt impossible in his mind… perhaps two people trying to defy the impossible had a better chance fighting together. "You can trust me." He said at last, turning to face her with a half smirk. "And I'll come with you to… Korva… Korvaln-"

"Korvanjund."

" _That_."

The relief manifested in her face with a genuine smile. Her mouth opened as she began to speak, but she quickly stood up when she noticed Block approaching them. "Hey."

"Hey guys." He said, looking from Meklavar to Pike. "We just got kinda worried, and by 'we' I mean Valayun, since you were taking so long. But I guess you guys were just talking. That's what I told her, but she wouldn't listen."

"Sounds like her." Pike said as if he knew her. He stood up as well and handed his empty plate to Meklavar. "Thanks for dinner. I'll just find a nice tree to lounge in." He stretched his arms out in front of him with fingers interlocked, his back arching and tail curling up just like a cat would. He let out a small grunt and straightened up, flashing them a grin with a two-fingered wave. "Nighters." With a cloud of smoke he disappeared into the night.

After a moment Block spoke. "He's too dramatic if you ask me."

She let out a small chuckle. "Felines are like that."

"You guys have a nice chat?"

"Yeah… kinda lost track of time." She started to head back towards the inn. "We'll probably head out pretty early tomorrow, so we should get some sleep."

Block nodded in agreement. "Yeah and we were able to afford the deluxe rooms, so we each have our own room to sleep in. Meaning you won't have to worry about my snoring keeping you up at night."

"Oh thank goodness. Unless you snore so loud I can hear you through the walls!"

"…I'll put up an enchantment."

 

* * *

 

Once Meklavar closed the door to her room, she turned her back against the door and slid down onto the floor with a sigh of defeat. She pulled off her helmet to reveal her pointed elven ears sticking out from short, messy honey-brown locks. She closed her eyes, pulled off her gloves and licked her palm to wipe off the crimson face paint marking her cheeks. She let out another exhausted sigh, letting her arms flop to the ground.

"Huh, you actually look super cute."

Meklavar jumped up with a blood-curling screech, nearly chucking her axe at the voice but stopping at the last second when she realized it was _Pike, crouched on the now open window sill_ , causing the heavy weapon to only fly out of her hands a few feet and clank loudly on the floor.

"Whoa you okay in there??" Block's muffled voice came through the closed door.

"Y-YEAH," Her face turned as red as the face paint that once covered the pale green curves at the corners of her eyes. "THERE WAS… A RAT! THERE WAS A RAT. IT CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW, I'M GOOD NOW."

"Oh. Yikes. It must have been huuuuge. Where's Pike when you need him, right?" A low chuckle could be heard from the other side.

Pike was clearly trying to hold back laughter as Meklavar looked even more flustered. "YEAH. WHERE THE HECK IS HE WHEN YA NEED HIM??"

"… I wonder if he even likes rodents… or maybe he prefers seafood…"

"GOODNIGHT, BLOCK."

"Right. Goodnight!"

Meklavar waited a moment, her eyes trained on the door as she listened for the sorcerer's footsteps to fade away, then turned on the khaliit with a fury in her eyes as she whispered as aggressively as she could. "What! Are you doing!!" She stepped towards him while picking up her axe and shoved the blade in his face before he could finish stepping down into her room.

"What?" He raised his hands defensively. "It's cold outside."

" _It's cold outs_ -" She bit her lip, realizing he actually had a decent argument. She was hot and sweaty in her heavy armor so the temperature outside went by completely unnoticed. "Oh. It's cold outside. How cold?"

"Cold enough to want to climb up three stories and sneak into an angry dwarf's bedroom." He said dully.

She scoffed. "Three stories is probably nothing for you."

He flailed a hand angrily. "Will you please lower the axe?"

She sighed, lowering her axe and shoulders. She turned away from him, propping her weapon against the wall near the bed, and began to take off armor. She could feel the presence of the khaliit making his way into the room, closing the window, and taking a seat at the foot of the bed. He pulled his knees in towards his chest so it almost looked like he was perching. Even though she was facing away from him as she carefully set down pieces of armor on the ground, she could feel his stare on her the entire time. She was annoyed with him but she was also too tired to argue.

"You've changed a lot since I last saw you."

Meklavar stilled, taking in a deep breath before she turned around to face him. She was only wearing her black under layers and even though it covered everything but her hands, feet, and face, she felt utterly exposed. "What do you mean?"

"I'm _from_ Aurita. My family used to work in the kitchens."

"Your family used to-" Her lips parted, her heart skipping a beat as she realized exactly what he meant. Her voice was so quiet that anyone other than a khaliit would probably have a hard time hearing her. "You were a servant at the castle…"

"Yep." He offered her a wistful smile. "That was a long time ago though."

" _How did you escape?_ On the night of the invasion?"

Pike frowned, his ears swiveled back. "You know a lot of it is actually a blur. That was the night I got this." He tapped a finger just below his left eye on the scar that passed through it. He let out a quiet, non-humorous laugh. "I couldn't exactly _see._ But I know I used a lot of the secret passageways that are in the castle. And I remember that was the first time I killed anyone." He wrapped his arms around his legs, hugging his knees to his chest. "What about you?"

"I don't remember anything."

"At all?"

"I remember waking up in an elf's house. He found me unconscious on the side of the road. My head was bleeding, so we were pretty sure I had a severe concussion. Everything… everything before that only comes in flashes. Bits and pieces. The only reason I know my name and who I am is because that elf told me that's who I was. And I was convinced because there are no other elves as short as me who look like the royal family."

"You have total amnesia…" Pike didn't say it as a question, but in a reverent kind of sorrow. He couldn't imagine a life not remembering his loved ones… not remembering his own identity. "Well for what it's worth, I know you're the princess."

"Ugh, don't call me that." She made a face of disgust.

"The dragonborn then?"

She nodded. "Much better." She looked at the khaliit sitting on her bed and couldn't help the sad smile that found place upon her lips. He wasn't just someone who knew who she really was, he was someone from _her past,_ a past she barely even knew. She wondered if she knew him at one point in her life, if they were even friends. She couldn't bring herself to ask.

Sometimes it was less painful not to know.

 


	4. Canine and Feline

Meklavar awoke with a strange weight upon her side. When she finally came to, blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she saw Pike was draped over her torso like a freaking _cat_.  
  
She sucked in a breath, about to belt out some kind of reprimanding, but the yelling stopped before it could leave her throat, letting out instead a small sigh of defeat. He looked incredibly peaceful despite the awkward angles his body twisted. When they went to bed the night before, there was enough space between the two of them to fit another person. The bed was huge, and Meklavar was… well, tiny. Sharing a bed with him didn't faze her in the least. She wasn't about to scold him to sleep on the floor like she was some stuck up princess and he nothing but a lowly servant.  
  
Well… that wasn't far from the truth.    
  
Yet she wasn't expecting him to end up lying on top of her. She was lying on her side while his torso flopped over her own, one of his arms hung off the edge and his legs were stretched out at various angles to take up the rest of the bed. He had dressed down as well to only wear a shirt and pants which meant his khaliit feet were bare and Meklavar couldn't help but think they were adorable. They resembled a feline's excluding fur with an additional paw pad on the heels, which she noticed were the same dark red color as the markings on his face.    
  
She watched the slow rising and falling of his shoulders and wondered if she should try waking him up or wait. She didn't fancy the idea of anyone finding out he slept in her room - partially because if the innkeeper found out they'd probably skin him alive, and partially because she didn't want the team getting any weird ideas. With a final sigh she decided to wake up the giant feline.    
  
"Pike…. Pssst…. Hey. _Hey_." An ear twitched. _Great._ Meklavar was hoping she could gently wake him up without having to touch him since she had no idea how he would react, but it seemed the verbal option wasn't cutting it. She couldn't exactly yell at him either, since it would alert the other teammates. She inched a finger towards his face and gently poked his cheek which elicited a disgruntled groan. She poked again. A quieter groan. She let out her own groan of frustration. She was about ready to smack him but Pike was an _assassin_ and she had no idea what kind of terrifying reflexes he might have. Perhaps she had to approach this differently.    
  
Meklavar tentatively reached out her hand and started rubbing behind one of his ears. He made a sound and slowly started to lean his head into her hand and before she knew it he started _purring_. She almost stopped from surprise, but found that his ears and hair were incredibly soft and it was hard to pull her hand away. He finally turned his head, his eyes blinking open as his pupils adjusted to the light to see her frozen with a fiery blush consuming her face.    
  
He must have realized the situation since he abruptly ceased the purring. "Oh cheese."    
  
"I'm sorry!" She flung up her hand as if she had committed a crime. "I was trying to wake you up but you sleep like a rock!"    
  
"Oh _cheese_." He said the word as if it were a terrible explicative, flailing as he pulled himself off of her and sat upright at the foot of the bed. His face was flushed as red as the markings on his cheeks. "Please tell me I was imagining the fact that I was purring!"    
  
Meklavar furrowed her brows in confusion. "I didn't even know you _could_ purr, but yeah, you were purring."    
  
"WhhhAAAA-" His scream of embarrassment was quickly covered by the elf's hand now covering his mouth.    
  
" _Shush_ , we're at the inn still, remember??"    
  
"Oh right." He said after she retreated. He pulled up the collar of his shirt, buried his face underneath it and let out a groan. "This morning can't get any worse."    
  
"How do you mean?"    
  
"First I'm sprawled all over you and then I start _purring_ like a freakin' mess-"    
  
"It's no big deal. I think it's actually kinda cute." She gave a soft shrug, her blush intensifying as she looked away.    
  
"Wait, I'm guessing you don't know what purring means?" He pulled his face out of his shirt, his cheeks still visibly red. When Meklavar shook her head, his blush darkened. "Well… for khaliit, happy purring is very uhhh…. _intimate_ … around anyone that isn't family, that is."    
  
"Well, you _were_ asleep. Or half asleep. So it's not really your fault."    
  
"I know, but still… I guess it's just been that long since I've actually purred." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck.    
  
"You called it 'happy' purring? Are there different kinds?"    
  
He nodded. "There's nervous purring and hurt purring. Sometimes we instinctually purr when we're nervous - which can make first dates _very_ confusing at times - and if we're severely sick or injured. The happy purring we can usually control pretty well, although some khaliit have a hard time keeping themselves from purring while they're eating delicious food."    
  
"Wow. I didn't know any of that." She smiled, her eyes sparkling with interest. "You're full of surprises, Pike."    
  
"Or you just don't know anything about khaliit." He laughed.    
  
"Let's go with both."    


   
][ --- ][

   
  
"Does your magical food bowl produce anything _other_ than pastries?" Pike asked as the team walked through the forest.    
  
Block sighed. "Sadly it seems to be stuck on the one setting." He pulled out another croissant. "It's great for breakfast food though. And breakfast is the best meal of the day."    
  
"I think it's fantastic!" Valayun chimed in as she delightfully indulged her strawberry pastry. "And they all taste so good! I've had magically summoned food before and more often than not it tastes incredibly bland. Whoever charmed this bowl must have been a great wizard."    
  
"Or witch." Meklavar added.    
  
"Or witch." Valayun agreed, reaching a hand into the bowl and pulling out an orange turnover. "Ooooh yes! I love these ones!!"    
  
Pike groaned. "I'm not into fruit, frosting, chocolate, or cinnamon and everything from that bowl has one of those things."    
  
"Oh! That reminds me." Block's face lit up. "And don't take this the wrong way, but I was curious: do you prefer rats or fish?"    
  
He glanced over at Meklavar whose mouth twisted as she tried to hold back her laughter. His ears flicked in embarrassment. "What kind of a random question is that?"    
  
"If you could only eat one or the other for the rest of your life, which would it be?"    
  
Pike let out a reluctant growl. "I don't know man! It's a hard question!"    
  
"Ahh _HA!_ So you _do_ like rats!"    
  
"YeHESSS!" He hissed sarcastically. "What'd you think I'd eat? Vegetables??"    
  
"Well I dunno, it just seems so…. they're _rats_." Block made a disgusted face.    
  
Pike raised a challenging eyebrow. "Have you ever _tried_ rat?"    
  
"…Nooo…"    
  
"Then don't diss it till you try it!"    
  
"Cooked rat actually tastes pretty decent." Jiro quipped from the front of the group. "Granted, I was starved and practically on my deathbed at the time."    
"Not much of a recommendation." Block mumbled. He quickened his pace slightly to walk closer to the paladin. "What's the name of this sorcerer you know? How do you even know he'll be where we're going?"    
  
"I don't." Jiro said. "But someone will be there who will know where he is if he's left. I think he might be able to help not only you, Block, but I think he can also help my brother."    
  
"But… your brother is…"    
  
"Dead? Hardly."    
  
"How can you _possibly be sure of that?_ " Meklavar's tone was borderline angry.    
  
"Because we're twins, we were able to form a bloodpact without the negative effects." Jiro explained. "And I feel that Shiro is somewhere out there, very much alive."    
  
"What's a bl-"    
  
"A bloodpact??!" Pike interjected. "That's dark jutsu! Who taught you that??"    
  
"Another one of your kind. In order to save my family it was necessary that Shiro and I perform the ritual. The pact has yet to wear off, and since we did it as twins I'm guessing it never will."    
  
"Well yeah, because you're sharing the same exact blood." His expression was a mix of awe and confusion. "That explains why you were able to teleport to the exact spot right after Shiro died…"    
  
"Can someone explain what a bloodpact is?" Block asked.    
  
"It's when two people seal the blood of the other into their own." Pike explained. "It allows the two involved to feel and see everything the other does. Exceptionally well-done bloodpacts can even cause telepathy between the two. But it usually only lasts for a few days, at most a week. It is a forbidden jutsu because it became popular to use in hostage situations."    
  
Meklavar's eyes widened in horror. "That… is terrible."    
  
"Wait, how would a hostage use a bloodpact?" Block asked.    
  
"Not the hostage. The one taking the hostage." Meklavar said. "In order to get what they wanted, they could form a bloodpact with their hostage and people would have to cooperate with them because if they were harmed or killed, the hostage would be as well."    
  
"Sneaky! That's a terrible way of figuratively tying one's hands. Pike, do you do any of that kind of stuff?"    
  
"If I did, do you really think I would tell you?"    
  
"…Vague answer is vague."    
  
"How will this sorcerer be able to help you save Shiro?" Valayun nicely changed the subject with her question directed at the paladin. Her crystal blue hues were a mixture of doubt and concern. "It's not exactly easy to bring someone back from the dead."    
  
"He's not exactly dead." Jiro paused, his brows furrowed. "I don't know how to explain it, but it's as if his soul is still out there somewhere. I can't feel or connect to anything physical though. It's as if he's still alive, his body is just… gone."    
  
"Sounds like something that would require dark magic." Block said. "From what I've learned, I don't think-"    
  
" _Wait._ " Pike cut in, causing the whole group to stop. His knees were bent in a defensive stance, his ears rotating slightly. "We have company."    
  
"Bad company?" Block whispered.    
  
"Not sure. But who else would be out in the middle of the woods traveling through a dangerous mountain range but trouble? There's two of them." His tail swished from side to side in agitation as he picked up a scent. " _Canine_."    
  
Before any of them could react, a giant wolf teleported directly in front of Pike with a threatening growl. Pike screamed and disappeared with a burst of smoke. The wolf's snout changed direction as it honed on to the khaliit, phasing into thin air once again. Pike's scream was heard in the distance.    
  
Jiro unsheathed his flaming sword and that was the cue for everyone else to pull out their weapons. A dagger landed just by the paladin's feet as a warning before an ominous disembodied voice sounded through the trees.    
  
"Who dares intrude, upon my solitude?"    
  
Another Pike scream sounded. Meklavar looked around, trying to spot the source of the voice. "Who are you, to say we can't travel through this forest?"    
  
"There!" Valayun released an arrow towards the mysterious figure but he dashed away just before her arrow lodged itself into the branch he was previously standing upon. He landed on the ground in front of the group (and far more gracefully than Valayun when she first made her appearance), twin blades unsheathed.    
  
"Why are you here?" The dark-haired barbarian asked. He had pointed ears like an elf, but the markings on his face resembled that of a galra. His eyes were heterochromatic, the top half of his irises a deep amethyst while the lower half shined amber.    
  
"We're traveling to Darmuth." Jiro said, his sword still at the ready. "We're just passing through."    
  
"Why don't you travel the path through the Caralaith pass?" His eyes were unwavering, appearing almost feral.    
  
"It's urgent. It is paramount that we reach a sorcerer to save a village from being turned to stone."    
  
"Why the urgency? It's not like they're going anywhere."    
  
"See, that's what I said!" Block whispered toward Meklavar, but she just elbowed him in the side.    
  
Pike appeared just behind the barbarian, the wolf following suit seconds later. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!" He leapt back and brought up two fingers towards his mouth, saying "KATON!" as he inhaled. Bright orange flames spewed from his mouth towards the wolf while the stranger spun around and took a step towards them, yelling "YOU'LL MAKE A FINE RUG, _CAT!_ ", chucking one of his blades towards Pike on the last word. Before chaos could fully ensue, Block spun his staff and shouted, "Immobilize!!"    
  
Pike hovered four feet in the air, the flames carved through the air towards the wolf whose jaws were gaped open in a voiceless bark, and the half-breed balanced on one foot as his weight leaned forward to throw the blade which was now stuck in the air between him and Pike. The group stared at the carved scene before them, all silently in shock at how quickly everything unfolded.    
  
"Holy crow. Good thinking, Block." Meklavar awed. "Now what?"    
  
"It won't last for long so we need to extinguish the flames and move the trajectory of the dude's sword." He stepped forward to the frozen scene, casting a water spell upon the flames. Meklavar skewed the angle of the hovering blade with the tip of her axe and Jiro took the second blade from the stranger so he was disarmed, pointing the blade towards him. A second later the spell wore off and everything resumed motion.    
  
The wolf barked, Pike landed in confusion, the blade mid-air logged into a tree with a sharp _thunk_ , and the stranger stopped before his own blade held against him. His eyes widened when he saw Jiro's face.  
  
"Shiro?"  
  
Jiro's eyebrows rose. "Actually I'm Jiro. I'm his twin brother."  
  
The barbarian looked perturbed. "He has a _twin brother???_ "  
  
"Can you PLEASE tell your dog to sit?" Pike snarled. "Or heel? Or play dead?" He was leaping around from tree branch to tree branch while the wolf continued to chase him (albeit with greater difficulty) by phasing about the branches.  
  
"Rover! Stop it!" Immediately the wolf whipped its head around to its owner, panting it's bright blue tongue. Pike let out a long sigh of relief.  
  
"How do you know my brother?" Jiro asked.  
  
"It's… kind of a long story." The half-breed said. "But he's like a brother to me. That's odd that I never knew he had a brother, a twin at that." His heterochromatic eyes shifted down to the blade and back to the paladin. "You can lower that. Friends of Shiro are friends of mine."  
  
"You sure 'bout that?" Pike had his hands on the hilt of the stranger's second sword embedded in the tree, and pushed his legs against the trunk, yanking on it until it popped loose. With a small flip, he landed on his feet. "Your dog certainly doesn't like me."  
  
" _Wolf_." He corrected. "And that's because you're a _cat_."  
  
" _Khaliit_." Pike corrected with daggered eyes. "We don't even know your name. How are we supposed to trust you?"  
  
"I am Thunderstorm Darkness." He said, looking at each member of the group in turn. "Trust is something that comes with time. So how about we make a deal, instead?"  
  
"Alright, Thunder." Jiro lowered the blade. "What kind of deal?"  
  
"You tell me where I can find Shiro, and I'll lead your group safely through the mountains. I know these parts like the back of my hand, and they're crawling with dragons. Without me, you will surely encounter one. Especially if that one," He jabbed a thumb towards Pike, "continues to scream as loud as he does."  
  
"Hey!" Pike protested. "Canines scare me, okay? Especially magically _teleporting_ ones."  
  
" _Says the magically teleporting ninja._ " Meklavar muttered. Pike noticed her usually sarcastic tone was lacking and she almost appeared nervous. The half-breed's mention of dragons had turned her a shade paler.  
  
"That sounds like a fair trade." Valayun spoke up. "However, you're not going to like our answer to your question."  
  
"Technically speaking," Block said, "Shiro died. Theoretically speaking, he's still alive."  
  
Jiro let out a small sigh of frustration at Block's poor choice of words. "It's kind of complicated. But our goal is to find my sorcerer friend to see if he has any solutions to saving my brother. We can explain on the way, but we should make the most of this daylight and continue on."  
  
Thunder nodded, his expression somber. "That sounds like the best course of action." He took his twin blades from Jiro and Pike, sheathing them on his back as he lead the way deeper into the forest. The one person he could call family was gone, or so it seemed. He felt a deep dark hole form in his chest but he kept his eyes trained on the path ahead, focused his energy on the sounds and smells around him, and immersed into the distraction of pressing forward into the unknown.  
  
It was all he could do to hold himself together.  
  
"Follow me."  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to @misfics post about names in Voltron s6, I realized that "Gyro" really should be spelled "Jiro," which really makes more sense when you think about it. Shiro used another Japanese name for his second character, not the name of a sandwich. So he'll be referred to as Jiro from here on out, and previous chapters were edited properly. 
> 
> [read their post here: http://misfics.tumblr.com/post/175082279804/this-post-is-about-the-spelling-of-two-names-that]


	5. Starve the Cold

Three days passed and somehow the group was still alive. They avoided any external threats or detection from dragons and had somehow kept from killing each other. Thunder's initial hostility was replaced with an indifferent calm, but Pike was still wary of him and tried to keep his distance with the star wolf. Block discovered one night that cooked rat was in fact delicious.  
  
Valayun looked up at the overcast sky with a troubled expression. "It looks like it might rain tonight." As if on cue, a rumbling of thunder sounded in the distance. She looked to the ranger. "It's going to reflect your name pretty soon here. Is there a place we can retire for cover?"  
  
"Did Valayun really just crack a joke at Thunder's name?" Pike muttered to Meklavar.  
  
"There is a canyon not far from here," Thunder replied, "but our chances of running into a dragon would be high."  
  
"Can't we make some kind of make-shift tent?" Meklavar piped up. She looked at Block. "Or cast some kind of shielding spell to keep us out of the rain?"  
  
"I could," Block started, "but I'd only be able to keep it up for a few hours at best."  
  
"I have a tent." Pike said, and everyone turned to look at him. "But it'd only fit at most, three of us."  
  
"Where are you hiding a _tent?_ " Meklavar looked him up and down as if she were going to find it stuffed under his shirt.  
  
He pulled out a scroll from his sack. "Summoning scroll. I'm actually carrying a lot of stuff on me."  
  
"Huh. So it's like Valayun's satchel… but in paper form."  
  
"Something like that."  
  
"What if I cast some kind of invisibility spell on us when we enter the canyon?" Block offered. "We can find a cave, and the dragons won't find us."  
  
"Would your spell include hiding our scent as well?" Thunder asked.  
  
"It… should?" He bit his lower lip. "I'm not confident enough to answer that."  
  
"How long can you make the spell last?"  
  
"Probably an hour or two."  
  
"That should be plenty of time to find shelter." Thunder turned to lead the group a different direction as he headed towards the canyon. Rain weakly began to fall as lightning cracked against the sky, shortly followed by tumultuous thunder.  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this." Meklavar said.

  
  
  
][ --- ][  


 

  
  
"At this rate we're going to all die of hypothermia!" Pike yelled into the wind and rain. The storm had intensified to the point where everyone was soaked to the bone. It was only getting darker. "Do you know where we're going, Thunder?!"  
  
"We're almost there, cat!"  
  
"Not a cat!!"  
  
"At least the rain is doing a nice job of masking our scent!" Jiro said.  
  
"Actually the rain is _amplifying_ our scent!!" Pike said. "Trust me, I would know!!"  
  
"We need to mask it." Meklavar exclaimed as the idea came to her, her amber eyes searching around on the ground. "Everyone! Cover yourselves in mud!!" She fell to her knees and started slathering handfuls of mud upon her armor, her face, everywhere. The team followed suit.  
  
"Good thinking, Meklavar." Thunder said as he spun a finger to tell Rover to roll around in it. Once the whole team was covered, they practically ran as the ranger lead them further in. Eventually they reached the edge where the ground dropped into a ravine, and further on became a massive rocky canyon. "Time to cast that spell of yours, Block."  
  
"On it." He spun his staff a few times, creating a vibrant yellow magic circle as the spell began to form around them like a mist. After a moment of concentrating, he lowered his hands, magic circle disappearing, but the fog stayed close around them. "We should be undetectable now, but stay within the fog as we move."  
  
It didn't take long for them to find a decent cave with room for all seven. It had a narrow opening as well (which Block and Jiro had a hard time squeezing through), which was a comforting deterrent for any dragons. Block started up a fire and everyone gathered around the heat to try and starve off the cold of the storm that lingered in their bones.  
  
It wasn't until a solid ten minutes of freezing near the fire that someone realized they weren't heating up.  
  
"This isn't working." Thunder asserted. "Our clothes are soaked, we need to get out of them in order to warm up, otherwise we _will_ all die of hypothermia, as the cat predicted."  
  
"Not a ca-" Pike started.  
  
"But we don't have any dry clothes to change into." Meklavar nervously pointed out. "Unless Block or Valayun know a spell to help with drying out our clothes."  
  
"If I knew one I would have done it by now." Block said dully.  
  
Valayun shook her head. "I mostly know healing and elemental spells…"  
  
Meklavar glanced to the khaliit. "I don't suppose you have some secret ninja art as a last resort?"  
  
Pike looked at her and could read the pleading and fear in her eyes. He knew that if they stripped their clothes her secret would be revealed. The mud would keep the markings on her face covered, but there was no hiding the markings on her body or her ears once she took off her helmet. "The only thing I can do that would help is breathe fire… and I think setting our clothes aflame would only cause more problems."  
  
"That leaves us with only one option." Jiro said, a little too dramatically. "On the plus side, there is no better team bonding exercise than being in the nude in a near-death scenario."  
  
"This is NOT a team building exercise!!" Pike hissed. "It's SURVIVAL!"  
  
"Well then let's get on with it." Thunder said, already starting to shed layers. "We're only getting deader."  
  
A startled noise escaped Valayun's throat. "C-Can we at least all turn around? Have our backs facing the fire?"  
  
"Technically we should probably press against each other to conserve body warmth-" Block said.  
  
"AAAND let's not!" Meklavar protested. "I like that idea, Valayun. Everyone turn around!"  
  
"What difference will that make." Thunder muttered under his breath. "We have a thing called peripherals."  
  
There was an unspoken agreement among the group to leave undergarments on, or everyone was too self-conscious to strip down completely. Meklavar thought her odds were pretty good - she had Pike on her right, who already knew her secret, and Jiro on her left, who was a lawful good paladin and the least likely to steal any kind of glances towards her. Even though Meklavar was desperately hoping that everyone facing their backs to each other would somehow miraculously keep her species and therefore identity a secret, everyone turned to look at her when she suddenly let out a frightened scream.  
  
"What? What is it!?" Valayun spun around, letting out a small gasp.  
  
Meklavar slumped onto the ground, bending her knees towards her chest and covering her ears with her hands as she tried to hide from the four pairs of eyes that were no doubt staring at the pointed ears they thought they all saw. Pike was in the middle of taking his pants off and struggling with balancing on one foot. "Uuuhhh…. So I think my tail brushed against her leg." His eyes darted between her and his tail. "Didn't realize you were that skittish."  
  
"Shut up, Pike!" _You know why I'm skittish!_ Even without the fear of everyone finding out who she really was, she was still terrified of encountering a dragon. She was scared they would die and she would be powerless to stop it, or worse, everyone else would die and she would somehow be the only one to survive. "Just hurry up and take your pants off!"  
  
"If you insist." He teased in a velvety voice which elicited a kick from Meklavar, causing Pike to fall over with a yelp.  
  
"Meklavar…" Valayun was still staring at her in awe. "Your ears…"  
  
Meklavar let out a long, drawn-out sigh. She collected her strength and stood up, her ears fully visible to the team. She turned around to face Valayun, her amber eyes aglow from the light of the fire. "I'm an elf. I know I haven't been honest with all of you but…" Her shoulders shuddered from the cold. "Now you know… I guess there was no way around it at this point anyway."  
  
"You're not _just_ an elf, though." Valayun blinked a few times, her eyes practically sparkling. "You're the Telcontar princess, Yekaterina!"  
  
"Waitwaitwaitwait… you're a _princess???_ " Block looked at her as if he was standing before a demigod. She was half expecting him to get down on his knees and grovel at her feet at any moment judging by the way his jaw was hanging loosely. "You've been a princess this whole time and I've been treating you like a _dwarf?!_ "  
  
"In your defense Block, you treat everyone nicely." Meklavar said dryly.  
  
"That… actually makes a lot of sense." Jiro mused. "You're the dragonborn. That would explain why you were able to survive Dakin's attack when it killed my brother."  
  
"I was wondering about that…" Block frowned. "And the sleeping spell that troll cast. I'm preeeeetty sure it works just fine on dwarves."  
  
"She's dragonborn??" Thunder spoke up. "Why didn't she say so? We're in _dragon_ territory."  
  
"Hey, she doesn't know how to use dragon shouts, or whatever." Pike explained, his pants finally off. He stood confidently with his hands on his hips as if they weren't all standing around in nothing but their underwear. "So don't give her grief over something she can't control."  
  
"Wait… how did _you_ know?" Block asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
" _Intuition_." Pike said with a dramatic gesture of his hand.  
  
"I doubt that." Thunder quipped.  
  
Everyone's attention shifted when Valayun let out a small sniffle. Tears were threatening to spill from her bright eyes. "I thought… everyone thought…" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "That after the Invasion… all the Telcontars were dead…"  
  
Meklavar's expression softened as she saw the genuine sorrow in her fellow elf. "I guess not all of us are." She said solemnly, not knowing for herself if anyone else in her family was alive. For all she knew, she could have been the last of the royal family.  
  
"My father…" She sniffled, her smile bittersweet. "Is Alfor Altair. He worked alongside your father. I don't know if you remember him or remember me at all… I went to a few of the galas your family held. I was far too nervous to ever approach you, though."  
  
"I… I actually don't remember much of anything." Her eyes fell to the fire in a thousand yard stare. "I apparently hit my head pretty hard during the Invasion. But Alfor Altair…" She narrowed her eyes in thought. It hurt her head. It was as if the name were a trigger, pounding her skull to recede back into painful memories. "It seems… familiar." She lifted her gaze to give Valayun a hopeful expression. "Perhaps I'll remember in time."  
  
"Perhaps." She nodded in agreement, wiping away her tears.  
  
"Well… since we've all officially seen each other now, I'm going to continue facing the fire." Block announced, sitting down near the flames.  
  
"Good idea." Thunder agreed as he did the same.  
  
Everyone sat down facing the fire save for Pike, who kept his back turned to the flames so his tail could curve around the edge of the warmth. Meklavar couldn't help but stare at his spine where his crimson markings continued down in V-shapes with brown spots in between. The same pattern fell upon the sides of his upper arms and thighs.  
  
"You have stripes." She observed, as if it weren't obvious.  
  
Pike let out a small laugh. "Yeah, and you have pointed ears."  
  
"Man, you guys all have unique markings and cool scars." Block chimed with a laugh. Pike, Thunder, and Jiro were all covered in various scars, while Meklavar, Valayun, Pike, and Thunder had their elaborate markings based on their race. "I'm just a blank canvas over here."  
  
"Markings are nothing to get excited about." Thunder debated. "Mine have only brought me trouble."  
  
Pike twisted his shoulders to look at the half-breed, his gaze stern but sympathetic in understanding. "I know the feeling. I'm pretty used to people making judgement calls based on what I am, but I can only imagine what you must go through…"  
  
Thunder didn't smile, but it showed in his eyes. "It's rough sometimes. Galra think I'm too good for them, elves think I'm not good enough, and everyone in between thinks I'm an abomination. I don't belong anywhere in this world."  
  
"Maybe it's not so much about belonging as it is making a place for yourself." Jiro said. "When it comes down to it, you're right. You _don't_ belong anywhere. But that's okay. You don't have to."  
  
"Thanks." Thunder blinked, looking the paladin up and down. "I still can't wrap my head around the fact that Shiro has a twin brother… You look like him and you sound like him but I can tell that you're not… him… If that makes any sense."  
  
Jiro laughed. "It makes perfect sense! I feel the exact same way sometimes."

  
  
  
][ --- ][  


 

  
  
Eventually everyone thawed enough to start a second fire for the sole purpose of drying out their clothes. Valayun cast minor healing spells on everyone to make sure no one got sick. Block distributed pastries from his bowl of endless food and Meklavar had the brilliant idea to use her transmutation gloves to change the food into different food. Everyone got to eat what they desired, although Valayun was content to stick with the pastries. A few hours later everyone was back in dry clothes and ready to retire for the night.  
  
Any other night and everyone would have spread out to sleep in solitude, but considering they were all shivering to death not long ago, they slept side by side in a small cluster of makeshift beds. A spell was cast to keep the fire burning into the night, albeit a weak flame it was enough to keep the cave warm.  
  
Although no one would admit it, they knew Jiro was right.  
  
There was no better team building exercise than being in the nude in a near-death scenario.  
  
  



	6. Fuel the Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I now have a tumblr for this project! So you can see all my art and ramblings and notes and whatnot! (wow that was a run-on sentence hahaaaa)
> 
> ][ [defendersofaurita.tumblr.com](http://defendersofaurita.tumblr.com) ][

Thunder was the first to wake, Rover nudging his nose against his cheek. “Okaaaay, I’m up, I’m up.” He protested, slowly stirring from his makeshift bed as he sat up. He scratched Rover’s head as he examined the group fast asleep, an eyebrow rising when he laid eyes on Pike practically draped on top of the tiniest member of their group. He wondered for a moment if Meklavar was alive, but he noticed the rising and falling of her chest. It appeared they all survived the night, Block’s magical fire died down to its last embers. Rover let out a soft whine, pacing nervously between Thunder and the entrance to the cave.

“What is it boy?” He whispered, getting up to his feet to investigate. Rover was poking his snout around the corner of the mouth of the cave and Thunder peered cautiously out into the early morning light. What he saw caused him to softly gasp.

Two ginormous, glittering dragons lie curled up asleep within the ravine of the canyon close to their cave. One was a warm sandy color that blended in with the rocky terrain, the other a dull gray. Thunder let out a curse under his breath as he quietly rushed back to the sleeping teammates. He had to wake everyone without startling them, for he was afraid that so much as a sneeze and the dragons would wake. One of giant lizards simply had to breathe fire into the small cave entrance and they’d all be cooked alive.

After a moment of pondering, Thunder decided it would be best to wait for each person in turn to wake naturally. He sat there hoping no one woke obnoxiously loud… he was mainly waiting for Pike to blow their cover. It was a long, tense wait, but eventually Meklavar woke with what sounded like a wheeze.

Meklavar remembered Pike was practically spooning her when they fell asleep last night, but at the same time she was nearly pressed against Jiro’s back so personal space was a luxury at this point. Somehow between that point and now, Pike had draped himself over her hips and side so that his lower half was behind her and his upper half in front of her, squished between her and Jiro. She was fairly certain khaliit didn’t have spines because she couldn’t fathom how his positioning could possibly be comfortable. When she lifted her head she noticed Thunder crouched close-by making hand motions. She understood she needed to be quiet and there was something outside, so she offered up a nod. She looked down at Pike and wondered if she’d have to scratch behind his ear again to wake him up.

As she laid there looking at Pike contemplating what to do, she became aware of the half-breed’s unwavering stare. Unlike her, Thunder probably knew what khaliit purring meant and he’d get a wild misinterpretation if he saw her waking Pike by scratching his ear. When her eyes met Thunder’s, he spoke again with his hands. Meklavar narrowed her eyes in confusion, so Thunder simplified.

He pointed at Pike’s face, then petted Rover while giving her a look.

 _Oh_ , Meklavar thought.  _He’s actually suggesting I do exactly that._ She reached out a hand and gently stroked his messy brown hair. Sure enough, once she started scratching the base of one of his ears, Pike started purring and slowly came to as he groggily blinked the sleep from his eyes. Meklavar held a finger to her lips so he would know to be quiet. He halted the purring with an embarrassed pursing of his lips, his expression confused. He started to pull himself off of Meklavar but when he caught whiff of a scent he froze, turning to look at Thunder with startled eyes. “ _Dragons?_ ” He mouthed and Thunder nodded.

Meklavar felt her muscles tense but she tried to shove the panic down as it threatened to boil in her veins. Pike seemed to have noticed - when he placed a hand on her shoulder as he was pulling himself up to his feet his hand lingered there comfortingly. His movements woke Jiro and even though the paladin was silent, all three of them placed their finger to their lips.

Once everyone was awake, Block cast a temporary shield to silence their conversation. They were all huddled tightly together in a circle, shoulders pressing against each other.

“Ok, why are we being all quiet?” He asked with a yawn.

“There’s two dragons sleeping right outside our cave entrance.” Thunder said.

“Dragons??” Valayun turned a shade paler.

“What kind of dragons?” Jiro asked. “Were you able to tell?”

“One of them is definitely a ground dragon.” Thunder said. “No wings but it’s huge and its scales are jagged. This canyon is its home turf so it’s the one at an advantage here. The silver one might be a water type but it could also easily be fire breathing. Silver ones are kind of ambiguous but it does have wings.”

“So what’s the plan of action? You seem to be the most versed when it comes to dragons.”

“Wouldn’t Meklavar be that?” Block asked. “She’s dragonborn, doesn’t that mean she can talk to them? How about she just persuades them not to eat us?”

“It’s not that simple, Block.” Meklavar scoffed. “Just because I’m dragonborn doesn’t mean I’m peachy with all dragons. If I knew how to talk to dragons and command them and slay them,  _everything as we know it would be vastly different_.”

Pike’s ears drooped since he understood exactly what she meant by those words. “I have my invisibility cloak. What if I were to sneak by and cause some kind of distraction while the rest of you escape?”

“While you what…  _outrun two dragons??”_

“I’m a ninja, I’ve got tricks up my sleeves.”

“That’s actually a good idea.” Thunder said. “Rover can accompany you so if the worst happens, he can teleport you to safety.”

“In case you forgot, your wolf likes to chase me so I don’t think that’s going to work. I can teleport myself, thank you very much.”

“I’ll tell him not to chase you.” Thunder hissed. “Besides, your teleportation is limited in distance, isn’t it?”

Pike looked irritated. “Well yeah, but isn’t your wolf as well?”

“He can teleport up to several miles away, and can take people with him.”

Pike’s jaw fell. “How is that even possible?”

“He’s a star wolf.” Thunder said with a hint of annoyance. “He’s not from this world so clearly he’s not bound by its rules.”

“Anyway.” Jiro interjected. “Pike and Rover will distract the dragons and lead them one direction while we run the other. What do we have available to us as far as stealth goes?” He looked to both Block and Valayun. “What spells can you two cast?”

“I could cast the same spell that masked our scent yesterday.” Block offered.

“With the morning precipitation I could easily form fog within the canyon.” Valayun said. “It would be good for cover.”

“While that is true,” Meklavar pitched in, “in the worst case scenario where the dragons notice us and follow us into the fog, we wouldn’t be able to see their attacks coming and they would more than likely be able to pinpoint us by scent alone.”

“Hmm. No fog, then.”

“So our best bet is to release the cat and dog as bait,” Block summarized, “run like crazy in the opposite direction, and hope we can all meet back up safely without the dragons figuring out our escape and subsequent meet-up place?”

“Sounds like it.” Jiro said.

Pike let out a sigh of defeat. “It was nice knowing you guys.”

 

 

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][ [music](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FoN711viMMe8&t=ZWNjZTU5MGY3OThmYWMwNzQzOGMwYzJkYzE4NjBmYmI2NjhhZTQxYSxuNThtS2Fsdw%3D%3D&b=t%3AwJ7458NVpOIUFrEbKJ6_Xg&p=https%3A%2F%2Fdefendersofaurita.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F177436221607%2Ftitle-fuel-the-fire-authorartist-anchoredtether&m=1) ][

Pike was half expecting Rover to start chasing him or biting his tail once they left the group but he was surprisingly well trained. He stayed under the invisibility cloak by Pike’s side as they crept their way around the silver dragon. Pike and Rover traveled deeper into the canyon while the rest of the group would go the opposite direction towards higher ground and back into the forest where there was more cover. Thunder claimed that Rover would know where to meet the group and teleport both him and Pike to safety when the time came, but Pike still had his doubts.

Then he heard the dreadful sound of scraping claws.

Pike turned his head around to see the silver dragon pulling itself to its feet, its long snout sniffing the air. They barely had any distance and it was already honing in on them. Although the silver dragon was the size of Dakin in his Coranic Dragon form, the sand colored one just behind it was easily twice as big, if not larger. Pike started to slowly continue further away from the dragon, hoping it wouldn’t notice them, but once it started to turn towards the cave where the rest of his teammates were he knew it was time to make the distraction even though it was grossly premature.

He pulled off the invisibility cloak and yelled a “HEY!” simultaneously as Rover howled. The dragon whipped its head to zero in its red eyes upon them, the sand dragon also raising its head as it stirred from sleep. The silver one unfurled its wings and let out a terrifying roar, its rows of fangs glinting ominously in the morning sunlight.

“Time to run, boy!” Pike said to Rover as they sprinted away. Fortunately, both dragons gave chase, ignoring the cave completely. Unfortunately,  _both dragons gave chase._

“This is our cue, right?” Meklavar asked back at the cave. Everyone was close to the entrance in anticipation while Thunder was right at the edge, peering outside as he watched the dragons slither away.

“Not yet.” He whispered. “If we leave too soon they’ll notice us and simply change direction.”

“Khaliit are good runners, right?” Block asked nervously.

“No, that’s khariit you’re thinking of.” Meklavar said. “But Pike’s a ninja. He’ll be fine… I think.” As if on cue, his scream could be heard in the distance of the canyon.

Just as a wall of fire was about to hit Pike and Rover, the wolf leaped over and bit down on Pike’s shirt as they both glowed a brilliant white before disappearing out of harm’s way. They were up on a higher ledge of rock along the wall of the canyon, looking down at the silver dragon as it ran deeper in.

“Alright, time to whip out my Ace.” Pike pulled out his summoning scroll, dramatically unveiling it in front of him as he formed hand signs and pulled out a giant spear from the paper. He took a deep inhale to concentrate on his mark, then thrust it with a yell. The dragon’s head began to turn back towards the sound but it was too late - the spear found its mark at the base of the dragon’s neck. When it hit, a crack of lightning exploded from the weapon, causing the dragon to collapse with a shrill of pain.

“It actually worked.” Pike breathed. The sand colored dragon caught up as massive claws climbed up the side of the canyon toward where he and Rover stood. “Time to move!” They ran, narrowly avoiding the gnashing of teeth.

“Thunder?” Meklavar looked alarmed.

“What?” Thunder asked.

“No, didn’t you hear it? Are one of the dragons lightning-based?” Her brows lowered suspiciously as she heard the dragon’s pained screech. “Or is Pike actually trying to attack it??”

“Either way, shouldn’t we start to make our escape?” Block asked. “They sound far enough away.”

Thunder fully poked his head around the corner to see there were no dragons in sight - they had moved past the bend of the canyon. “Yes, we should go now.” He led the way as the rest of the team followed.

“Why! Won’t you die!!” Pike had teleported himself onto the dragon and held onto the spear embedded in its flesh as it ran and jumped around trying to fling him off. With frustrated yells he channeled more lightning strikes through the spear to slowly damage the beast. When he felt his energy wearing out, the dragon decided to unfold its wings and take flight. “Oh cheese.”

Rover had his paws busy with the bigger dragon, leading it away as he teleported further and further down. He looked up, training golden eyes up at the silver dragon ascending with a screaming khaliit. He knew that if he left to save Pike, the larger dragon might discover the rest of the team. Rover teleported onto the snout of the sand colored dragon, charging at its eye with a fury of claws. The dragon roared, whipping its face and causing Rover to fly against a wall of rock, releasing a yelp. He teleported away, narrowly avoiding the dragon’s claws.

Pike couldn’t form any hand signs while he held onto the spear for dear life. He had little energy to perform any more lightning attacks, and he was too far off the ground to simply let go and escape the situation entirely _. Gonna have to do this the old-fashioned way._  He pulled out a kunai and stabbed it into the neck of the dragon as if he were rock climbing. The dragon roared and suddenly changed direction, heading into a nosedive. The dragon kept changing velocity as it flew, trying to throw Pike off. He pulled out another kunai and began climbing across the flesh of the creature as it continued its aerial tricks.

He looked down to realize they were  _incredibly high up_ , and altered his course of action. Heading towards one of the dragon’s beating wings, he took a leap of faith onto the dragon’s silvery webbed limb. His kunai dragged through the leathery flesh and tore the wing asunder. With a ribbon of blood dancing through the air, Pike was falling. With a triumphant grin he saw the dragon could no longer fly and would inevitably fall to its death. With widening eyes of horror, Pike realized the dragon wasn’t going down without exacting its revenge, it’s massive jaws opening and the flesh of its mouth glowing amber as it prepared to breathe fire. He closed his eyes, focusing as the wind roared in his ears and his heart pounded in his chest.

As the flames flowed from the dragon’s maw, Pike opened his eyes and teleported onto the beast’s head. It was well planned out to teleport on the only solid ground in freefall, somewhere he could accurately pinpoint himself to, but it was as if the dragon anticipated his exact move. Rearing its head back, the dragon flung Pike off and slammed him away with a powerful whip of its tail. Pike screamed as he fell away from the dragon, something painfully  _wrong_  with his right arm as it hovered lifelessly by his side, trails of crimson streaming through the air as he fell.

“ROVER!!!” He hoped the wolf could teleport him safely to the ground, but he wondered with horror if Rover’s teleportation would be vain in cancelling the momentum of his freefall the same as his teleportation lacked. At the rate he was falling, it didn’t matter if he was teleported - it would only speed up his inevitable splatter. The silver dragon began closing the distance between them with its one good wing. There wasn’t much distance left between them and the ground. With the last ounce of chakra he felt in his veins, Pike aimed with his left arm and released a final bolt of lightning towards the spear still embedded in the dragon’s neck.

 

 

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“Something’s wrong.” Meklavar said after the group saw and felt the lightning and the crash of the dragon as it shook the ground. “Pike and Rover should have returned by now.” She ran towards the scene, Thunder following closely behind her.

“Meklavar _, wait!_ You can’t just run blindly towards an injured dragon!”

“ _Watch me.”_  She spat over her shoulder, running even harder.

“Come on, we should follow.” Jiro ordered, leading Valayun and Block.

The scene was ghastly. Crimson stained the once green grass, the silver dragon lied in a heap with unnatural angles as its broken body shuddered with each dying breath. Its labored inhales and exhales were a disturbing type of requiem. Meklavar’s amber eyes frantically searched the area for any more bodies, hoping to her core that she wouldn’t find any.

Alas, she saw two smaller bodies off in the distance.

When she knelt at Pike’s side, Thunder quickly followed suit next to Rover. “Pike, what were you thinking??”

“I wasn’t.” He wheezed.

“You just killed a dragon!”

“Assassin, remember?”

Meklavar wanted nothing more than to smack him but she knew that would be counterproductive in their current circumstance. It was in that moment she noticed the damage upon his arm and started to feel a wave of nausea creep up her throat. Valayun reached her side and began casting a healing spell which glowed a bright cyan.

“I don’t know how much this will help.” The archer said. “We might have to still physically set his arm.”

“When you’re done with Pike, Rover needs some healing too.” Thunder said calmly, his hand pressed up against the wolf’s side to stop the bleeding. He looked over at the khaliit. “How did he save you?”

Pike half coughed, half laughed. “Somehow he teleported us but also changed our direction so we were upside-down and started falling upwards. Which… meant we landed on our backs, which hurt something awful, but it was better than the alternative. I owe him one.”

Thunder and Pike continued talking but their voices slowly faded as Meklavar felt an odd sensation in her chest. The feeling drew her to her feet, turning back towards the dragon. When she reached the clearing of broken trees, she saw Jiro and Block standing near the dragon, the paladin’s sword covered in blood. She saw the penetrating mark over its heart where Jiro took the life of the creature in mercy.

“I couldn’t stand to see it slowly suffering.” He said softly as if he had to justify his actions _. A paladin through and through,_  Meklavar thought.

She felt a voice caressing her mind, seething, dark, and venomous. It wasn’t a sound to be heard, it was a touch within her mind.

_Sister of mine, blood of my blood. Answer the call, take thy mantle._

She took a step closer to the silver corpse, the markings upon her face glowing faintly. The voice continued, and she realized it was the  _dragon’s soul_  speaking to her.

_And the Scrolls have foretold of black wings in the cold, that when brothers wage war come unfurled! Zarkon, Bane of Kings, ancient shadow unbound, with a hunger to swallow the world! But a day, shall arise, when the dark dragon’s lies, will be silenced forever and then! Fair Aurita will be free from foul Zarkon’s maw!_

Somehow she knew the words that came next as if they were etched into her very bones, and spoke them aloud with the dragon inside her mind.

_“Dragonborn, Dragonborn, by her honor is sworn to keep evil forever at bay! And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph’s shout, Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray!”_

Her hand touched the nose of the dead dragon and she was encompassed in light. A silvery, golden light flowed from the dragon and into her, filling her with a power she could barely comprehend till she felt she would burst. When it was done and over she fell to her knees, Jiro and Block rushed to her side.

“What  _language_  were you speaking??” Block asked. “What was that light???”

“Language?” Meklavar asked groggily as if she just came out of a daze. “The same we’re speaking!”

The realization dawned upon Jiro as his face reflected awe. “You were speaking  _dragon!_ ”

“….I was?”

“You were.” Thunder’s voice sounded behind them, and they all turned to look at him. “We could hear it from over there.” Meklavar’s eyes widened when he spoke the reality she was still trying to grasp.

“You just absorbed a dragon’s soul, dragonborn.”


	7. Retrace I: What Defines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any chapters with "Retrace" in their titles are flashbacks!

There was no indication for being dragonborn.

Princess Yekaterina didn’t find out until she was thirteen.

She was watching King Samuel and prince Matvey practice fighting, with her father teaching her brother various defensive and offensive spells. She couldn’t cast magic and always felt a deep longing and disconnect when she watched the brightly colored spells bounce off their shields. It was simultaneously beautiful and begrudging.

She should have probably been reading up on history books or helping her mother with the gala invitations, but she snuck to the outdoor arena and hid under the wooden bleachers, her honey eyes watching fervently between the gap of the seats. She could hear her father give instruction between their parries and watched how her brother’s blue markings and her father’s green illuminated each time they started to cast a spell. Even though the only markings on her skin she could see without a mirror were the ones that graced her collarbone, she was disheartened to know she would never see hers glow as her fathers did.

She watched them practice nearly every day and every day was the same mix of fascination and disappointment. This time was different, however, when Matvey cast a fire spell and Samuel deflected it…

Sending the fire straight toward the wooden bleachers where Yekaterina hid.

They were horrified when they heard her screaming but it was quickly cut short when Katya realized she wasn’t in pain. She pulled herself free from the fiery wreckage, half of her dress burned away and her face set in confusion. She was completely missing her sleeve and a chunk of her skirt, the rest of her yellow dress in tatters and covered in ashen streaks. She looked down at her bare arm as if it weren’t a part of her, her father’s concern barely reaching her ears as he knelt down and his hands held hers.

“Katya, are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Only when his hands gently held her face and forced her to look him in the eyes did she resurface from her daze. “Why… am I not hurt…?”

After putting out the flames with a water spell, Matvey stood next to them and looked from his father to his sister and back again. “Did I cast the spell wrong…?”

“No, it wasn’t an illusionary spell it was well cast fire.” Samuel pointed to the blackened hole in the benches. “It clearly burned through the wood, it should have burned through your sister as well.”

“It burned through her clothes, but not her skin…”

Samuel stood up, his face pensive as he looked down at his daughter. “Matvey, help your sister get a change of clothes and both of you meet me back in my study.” He turned to head back towards the castle, picking up his sword and shield as he left.  

 

 

 

][ — ][

 

 

 

“You think I’m  _what_?”

“Dragonborn.” The doors to the study were shut, leaving the royal family in quiet privacy. Samuel stood behind his desk where several tomes lie open, while Katya and Matvey sat in armchairs, Colleen timidly standing next to her daughter with a hand on her shoulder. “The records speak of legends of dragonborn and how they were immune to fire… individuals who bore the soul and power of a dragon.”

“Isn’t that a myth?” Collen asked. “Just some fairytale from ages ago?”

“How else could one explain why the fire did not burn Katya? Didn’t even  _hurt_  her?”

“It didn’t even feel  _hot_ …” Katya said softly. “It only felt warm. How is it that I’ve lived my whole life and never been burned until now?”

“It’s not like you’ve ever worked in the kitchens, dear.” Colleen reminded. The life of a princess wasn’t one filled with inconvenient dangers. “Food that would have normally burned someone’s mouth might have gone unnoticed to you all these years…”

“That explains the chicken pot pies!!” Matvey stood up with a sudden burst of energy. “One night she was chowing down on hers as if it  _wasn’t a thousand degrees_ and calling me a pansy for being unable to eat mine until she was nearly done with hers! That was the night I realized my sister was dangerous…” He said in a far too serious tone.

Katya frowned at her brother then looked back at her father. “What does it all mean though? A-am I cursed or something? Have I not been an elf this entire time?  _Am I even your daughter?_ ”

“Of  _course_  you’re my daughter, Katya.” Samuel reassured with a sadness in his amber hues. “There is much we do not know concerning dragonborn, and I’m afraid it will difficult to find the answers we seek. The last recorded dragonborn was hundreds of years ago, and what little  _is_  written down is obscured by legend and superstition. This discovery needs to remain a secret between us. We do not know how many people out there would try to kidnap you for your power or kill you out of fear. I will consult Alfor and Korhan since they may have some insight concerning the matter. Don’t worry, Katya… I will learn all I can about this. You mustn’t live in fear of what you are. Know that this doesn’t change how much we love you in the slightest. You are still princess Yekaterina Telcontar, but more importantly… you are still my daughter." 

Katya held back her tears, nodding softly as she felt her stomach continue to tie itself into knots.

 

 

 

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][ [music](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D5Tfsth-kbfg%26index%3D12%26list%3DPLF52B26B5336DCF3E&t=NjAwNTI2MmIzODkyNWY0YjQwMTJkNTU0NWQ0ZTg3YmFjNGJjYWY5NSxLWDJoZDFITQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AwJ7458NVpOIUFrEbKJ6_Xg&p=https%3A%2F%2Fdefendersofaurita.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F178268350447%2Ftitle-retrace-i-what-defines-authorartist&m=1) ][

Being a princess who lived in a castle offered little to no solidarity. If Katya wasn’t surrounded by her family or nobles or teachers, there was always a guard or servant nearby. She went to the one place where she knew the guards would at least be at a greater distance, hopefully far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to hear her crying.

She contained the turbulent hurricane within herself incredibly well. When she wanted to cry she kept a strong face and nodded. When she wanted to fall to the ground and never get up, she kept walking. When she wanted to do nothing but scream she kept her frustration contained in curled fists at her sides. Her father decided she would have her training intensified so she could properly defend herself. While she was excited to practice more fighting (she already loved fencing with Korhan), she knew her teachers would not go easy on her, and they hadn’t. She couldn’t cast magic which meant she had to be twice as good at physical combat than the average soldier if she ever hoped to win in a fight against a sorcerer or mage. Being so short had its disadvantages as well… her training had so far been nothing but brutal.

Several days passed from her self-realization and she couldn’t take it any longer. She briskly walked to the one place where she knew she could get a shred of privacy: the orchard. 

As to be expected there were several guards stationed around the walls that surrounded the orchard, but there were no guards within the lines of trees and it went on for acres. Once she crossed the fence into the orchard a guard acknowledged her.

"Oh your highness, are you going within the orchard? I’ll have a few of us accompany you.”

“No,” She said a little too forcefully, and quickly decided to soften her voice, “No, it’s alright. I… need some time to think. If I’m not back within say…. An hour, come and look for me.”

“Yes, your highness.” The guard said with a bow of his head.

She made her way deep into the rows of trees, past the pears and oranges and found herself amongst apples. She could only see two guards from her position and they were afar off. She let out a groan of frustration which sounded more like a growl. Every hurt and confusion boiled inside her until she felt it would consume her. She slumped down and pulled her knees to her chest, burrowing her head and releasing the floodgates. The sobs wracked her body and she hated the sounds that escaped her throat.

The crack of a branch snapped her head up as she looked wildly around for the source of the sound. Upon closer observation she saw beneath one of the trees several feet away from her had a basket of apples and a pair of shoes. She stood up, wiped the tears from her face and walked over to inspect the tree. She saw the source when she looked up into the branches and saw a boy grasped onto a branch. He was hugging it like cat stuck in a tree who was scared to come down… which wasn’t too far from the truth considering he had feline ears and a tail.

“A-are you…”

“I’m sorry your highness!!” He squeaked, to which Katya just blinked in surprise.

“What are you apologizing for?”

“You startled me so I hid up here and then you started  _crying_  and then I felt really  _bad_  for not giving you privacy but if I leapt down from the tree that would have scared you so I just kind of stayed up here and…I’m sorry I didn’t mean to intrude!!”

Katya was trying her best not to laugh at his adorable rambling apology. “It’s okay, you’re not intruding. You were here first. I would think I would notice you climbing up a tree… guess I must  _really_  be out of it…”

“Oh I didn’t climb, I jumped.” The cat boy said so matter-of-factly.

“You…” She looked from the ground up to where he was clutching the branch. “ _…jumped?!”_

“Yeah. Easy-peasy.” He pulled himself up and landed back on the grass only to demonstrate his jump as he launched himself back into the tree, swinging himself up onto a branch to perch upon.

She could feel her jaw start to slack. “You just jumped  _six feet._ ”

“Yeah?” He said as if it were obvious. “All khaliit can do that.” The claws of his cat-like feet dug into the bark of the tree and his tail swayed languidly as it helped him keep balance. Katya was staring at him a bit longer than she should have. The boy arched a brow. “Have you never seen a khaliit before or something?”

“Uhh what! Yes, of course I…” She folded her arms and pouted defiantly. “Well, not this close, no.”

He laughed. “Well I’ve never seen a princess this close, so I guess we’re even.”

She smiled. “You can come down, you know.”

“As you wish.” He landed softly in the grass. The redness in his cheeks intensified, one of his ears flicking nervously. “I-I can go make a trip to the kitchen - I mean I’ve gathered a good number of apples - that way you can get the solitude you sought. I won’t tell anyone about you crying, in fact, consider it wiped from my memory.” He made a motion with his hand going over his head, ears flattening back with his hand to emphasize the point. He started to reach for the basket of apples but the princess stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Wait…” She felt the tears start to well up in her eyes. His wording stuck out to her, caused her to reconsider the solitude. “…Can you keep a secret?”

The boy looked at her hand on his shoulder as if it were something to cause the king to execute him. His sapphire eyes locked with her amber and she noticed this close that his pupils were slitted, a strange combination of both feral and beautiful. His tone was willing with a hint of uncertainty. "Yes, your highness?”

She took a step back, releasing her hand and a sigh of relief. “I just found out I’m dragonborn. And I’m not handling it very well.”

“You're… dragonwhat?”

“Exactly. No one really knows what it’s supposed to mean. Supposedly it means I have a soul of a dragon… and apparently I’m immune to fire…”

“Wait, so you can’t be burned?”

“No… that’s how I found out all of this to begin with. My brother nearly cremated me.”

The boy made a face, his cat ears pinning back. “And I thought my siblings were rough…”

“It was an accident… but still…” Her eyes fell to the ground. “I just… I feel like I don’t even know what I am. And it scares me…”

The boy was already incredibly nervous being in such close proximity to the princess and now he was uncertain how to comfort her when she looked like she was on the verge of crying once more. “For a long time… I was led to believe I was nothing more than an animal…” He said softly, his expression sad. “It took me a long time to break that mindset, and I… actually still struggle with it sometimes… but you can’t let one thing define you. You’re not just a princess. You’re not just an elf. You’re so much more than that, and if dragonborn happens to be one of those traits, then… maybe it’s not as bad as it seems to be.”

Katya’s brows furrowed in anger. “I sure hope no one  _here_  was making you feel like nothing more than an animal or I’ll  _personally beat them to death.”_

“Oh no no no no it was no one here!” He waved his hands defensively, subtly scared at how aggressive she became over the matter. “M-my previous masters…”

“Previous masters? What were you…”

“A slave? Yes.”

Her expression fell, the knots in her stomach tightening. “I… I’m so sorry…”

“It’s nothing you need to apologize for. Your father was actually responsible for saving my family.”

“How do I… not know about this?” She suddenly felt like she fit the stereotype of being a royal who knew nothing about her people, not even her own servants, and it made her sick to her stomach.

“It was a long time ago. I think you were only six or something."  

"Still… What’s your name? I don’t even know your name…”

“Pike. Pike Cimclan.”

She nodded softly. “I at least recognize your last name. Is our head chef your mom?”

“That’s her! We’re the only khaliit in the castle staff that I’m aware of. There might be some in the royal guard who are khaliit, but there’s so many of them there’s no way I would know.”

“I only know the head generals of the guard. My dad probably knows everyone individually.” She sighed. “I’m just… so bad with names and faces and… people in general.”

“Me too…” He agreed with a nervous chuckle. He blinked a few times then narrowed his eyes as he looked down at her with an encouraging smile. “But just remember that it’s not what you are that defines you, but the choices you make. It’s who you decide to be in your everyday decisions that define who you truly are.”

Katya smiled at him, wiping away a tear from one of her eyes. “Thanks Pike… I'll keep that in mind. You've helped me feel better, and I appreciate that.”

“My pleasure. It was something my mom always taught me.” He leaned down to pick up the basket of apples and grab his shoes. “I really should be heading back though, otherwise my mom will think I took a nap… again.”

“Fair enough.” She had to work really hard at holding back a giggle at the thought of the cat boy being prone to taking naps in the afternoon. She pointed to his shoes and then to his feet. “Quick question before you go, why do you wear shoes when you literally have paws for feet?”

Pike deadpanned. “They’re not paws, they’re khaliit feet…  _okay they’re paws_ but for the same reason you wear shoes? I don’t fancy having dirty or cold feet.” He shrugged. “I take them off when I climb trees because I like to utilize my claws.”

She gave a thoughtful nod. “I guess that makes sense. If you had fur would you still wear shoes?”

“I! I don’t know! Probably?” He scoffed. “You ask funny questions, your highness.”

“Sorry.” She held up her hands innocently. “Curiosity killed the cat.”

“Oh, we’re making cat jokes now?” He asked in jest.

“Okay, that was pushing it, I’m sorry.” They both laughed and Katya couldn’t remember the last time she felt so light and carefree. Speaking with Pike helped ease her worries and lift her burdens, and she looked up at him with a hopeful warmth in her eyes. “Perhaps I’ll see you around?”

“Perhaps.” The way he said it felt like a promise. Before leaving he offered her a formal bow, then headed back towards the orchard entrance, calling over his shoulder, “Take care, your highness." 

Katya smiled at his back. "I will.”


	8. Pathways to Nowhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have changed this fic's rating from Teen to Mature. To read more about this change, go [here](https://defendersofaurita.tumblr.com/post/178858609797/psa-rating-change). I will try to give proper warnings in the beginning notes for each chapter without giving away too many spoilers for what happens.

A dragon roar in the distance turned everyone's heads towards the sound.

"We ought to hurry if we want to avoid being the other dragon's breakfast," Jiro announced. He turned his head to where Thunder, Rover, Pike, and Valayun were and called out to the healer. "Are they good to walk?"

As if to answer his question, Pike screamed out in pain when Valayun pushed his shoulder back into place with a sickening crack. "I'm not sure," she said, "That might have to be a temporary fix for now." She held out her left hand to Pike to help him on his feet, and he clasped hands with his uninjured left.

He let out a groan. "I'll manage."

"I think Rover's fine thanks to Valayun," Thunder said as the wolf stood up, tail gently wagging. "We should head this way, there's a river where we can wash off the dragon blood so we're not as easily trackable."

"Oh, I got us covered," Block said as he rushed over to Pike and Rover, summoning a magic circle that glowed a brilliant blue. Pike started to gasp dramatically in protest before it happened, but it was too late. "Waterspout!"

After being thoroughly soaked, Pike placed his good hand on his hip and growled, "Was that really necessary?"

"Dude, you were covered in dragon blood!" The sorcerer protested. "Just shake it off and take it like a good sport like ol' Rover." The wolf shook himself dry and looked up at them expectantly with a panting blue tongue.

Another snarl thundered through the trees, causing everyone to stiffen. Jiro looked to the ranger. "Thunder, lead the way. We should make haste."

No one argued as Thunder started jogging through the forest, Rover trotting right at his side as the rest of the group fell in line behind them.

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

It turned out the dragon wasn't following the scent of blood, it was following the scent of _Rover_.

"Everyone split up!!" Thunder yelled.

"Isn't it better if we stay together?" Block argued.

The sand-colored dragon caught up before anyone could respond, half its face covered in crimson from its clawed up eye, jaws rearing back furiously as its throat ignited a bright amber. Thunder recognized the sound and shoved Valayun out of the way, causing them to both roll down a ravine and narrowly escape the blazing wall of fire. Pike and Meklavar split off one way while Block and Jiro ran the other.

Thunder and Valayun quickly got up to their feet once they reached the bottom of the hill, running as the dragon clambered down the slope with its sharp claws. Rover ran a little ways ahead of them, turning his head to look at the dragon. The wolf slammed his paws into the earth and turned around, bolting directly between the archer and ranger.

"Rover!" Thunder called, but Valayun grabbed his hand to keep him from turning back.

"He knows what he's doing! He's offering us a window to escape!"

He stared at her a moment before offering a nod, keeping hold of her hand as they ran.

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

Pike slowed to a stop, heaving as he held his left bicep. "I don't think I can last much longer, Mek."

She stopped as well, turning around with a raised eyebrow. "Mek?"

"It's a nickname."

"I get that," she caught her breath for a moment, breathing heavily. "Well, I guess we can pause for a moment… worst case scenario you can teleport us."

"Actually I don't think I can," he huffed, "I'm low on chakra."

"Low on chakra?" She furrowed her brows. "You only cast a few lightning spells. Are they that powerful to drain you that much?"

"Well… it's also partially because what little I have left is trying to heal my arm." He waved his hand dismissively before grasping his arm again. "I don't feel like explaining it right now. Didn't you learn this kind of stuff in your princess studies?"

"I never bothered learning about magic because I'm incapable of casting it." Her tone was dour.

Pike's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Oh… how did I not know that?"

"Not all elves are geniuses at magic like most people are lead to believe." She sighed. "Everyone else in my family is though… sometimes I wonder if it's because I'm dragonborn."

"Magic sensitivity isn't hereditary." He shrugged, suddenly regretting the motion for his right shoulder as he hissed in pain. "I guess that explains why you have so few markings."

Meklavar felt her face grow hot as she realized Pike must have examined her when they were all half naked in the cave. It was difficult _not_ to look at anyone, but she still couldn't help turning her back to him to hide the blush consuming her face. "Yeah… We should keep moving."

Pike groaned. "Fine, but at a steady pace."

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

"I think - the dragon - followed Thunder and Valayun," Block said between gasps as he and Jiro caught their breath from running.

"It appears so," he agreed, listening closely for any sounds of the dragon. "Do you know any spells that can help us find each other?"

"Like a honing spell? I would need some kind of item that belonged to either of them in order for that to work." He wrung his hands nervously around his staff. "I think it might be easier to just keep heading towards Darmuth and hope we all eventually regroup there."

Jiro crossed his arms and looked out towards the east, his dark eyes narrowing in thought. "I do not like the idea of abandoning the others when they are potentially in danger, but we ourselves could end up lost if we run in circles trying to find them, possibly even encounter the dragon when we all could have avoided such trouble."

"I'm sure Thunder and Valayun could handle themselves if worse came to worse. They have Rover to teleport them." Block scanned his eyes through the forest the same direction Jiro was looking. "Do you know which way to go?"

"I know Darmuth is east of here," the paladin explained. "If we continue that direction we will eventually reach the edge of the forest and from there we can discern the city's location."

"Sounds like a plan. Rover might even be able to lead the others to us as we make our way there since he knows our scent." Block paused, noticing the paladin's shoulders were shaking. When he took a step closer to him, he saw his eyes were strained, his jaw clenched. "Jiro, are you alright?"

"I…" He winced, lifting a hand to his head. The drilling sensation intensified, hitting him in the head like a nail being driven into a coffin. He screamed out in pain as he collapsed to his knees, darkness quickly crawling into the corners of his vision as Block knelt beside him and offered a supportive hand upon his shoulder.

"Jiro! Jiro look at me! Are you okay? What's happening?"

"S-Shiro…" He was shaking, his eyes widened in horror. "He doesn't have much time left…"

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

][ [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxhEGU_GWd0) ][

 

Thunder couldn't fully relax until Rover appeared next to him in a dazzling burst of stars. He and Valayun had descended into an underlying cave system, safe from the dragon but shrouded in near darkness save for the faint glow of the archer's arrow tip. He let out a soft exhale of relief, offering a pat upon the wolf's head.

"It's best if we keep moving forward. These tunnels should lead back to the surface." Thunder said as he trudged through the rainwater which flooded the cavern, reaching his knees. "The dragon won't follow us down here."

" _Clearly_ ," Valayun said with a deadpan expression. A part of her wondered if she would be alright alone with the ranger - for all she knew he could have planned to split off with her and easily steal her magical satchel loaded with gold and split. She barely knew the half-breed but at the same time his words felt sincere. She wanted to trust him but she couldn't help keeping her guard up. The depth of his eyes expressed his authenticity but the galran marks upon his face kept her reserved. "How are we going to reconvene with the others?"

He was quiet a moment, as if thinking of his answer. His tone was calm but still loud enough to be heard over the sloshing of water as they walked. "We'll probably just have to regroup at Darmuth. We're nearly there as it is. I'm sure the others are smart enough to figure out how to get there."

"Will we make it there before nightfall?" She didn't fancy the idea of sleeping in a cave even if it was dry.

Thunder nodded but realized she probably couldn't see the movement that well in the dark. "We should. So long as we don't run into any more dragons."

They traveled in silence for a moment, the sloshing of water and faint reverberating echo through the caverns being the only sound between them. It was eerie in an oddly peaceful way. The cavern seemed too quiet, too still. Valayun was waiting for something to attack them from the shadows at any moment.

When Thunder broke the silence, she practically jumped out of her skin.

"What is it you have against me, exactly?"

"What do I… how do you mean?" Deep down she already knew the answer but her stomach churned at the thought of responding honestly to his inquiry.

"I've seen the way you look at me. I know the expression well." His tone was neutral as if he were simply stating facts. He was numb to the judgmental treatment and disregard that he was actually surprised it seemed only Valayun showed any apprehensions towards him. "You don't look at anyone else on our team that way… while you may hide it in your actions or your words, your body language and your eyes can not deceive."

Valayun stared at him for a moment before moving her clear blue eyes back towards the darkness ahead of them. "You're right." She admitted with a brief sigh. "The truth is…. I am terrified of the galra."

She stopped in her tracks, barely noticing the silence that enveloped them as thickly as the shadows. She wanted to admit she was wrong, that she shouldn't have discriminated against him for something he couldn't change, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words. The fear held her throat tight, her trauma kept her guard up. She was about to say a simple _'I'm sorry'_ but it would sound insincere. She couldn't bring herself to say it, so she continued walking forward, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"I'm not asking you to apologize or justify your reasoning." Thunder said. "But I am  _half elf_. Even if you assume galra are all inherently evil, that means I can only be half of that. We're all good and evil… it all pivots on the choices we make. Judge me by my choices, not my blood. Don't let your fear rule your judgement. It is the surest way to ensure your death."

With that, Thunder released his hand and continued walking forward into the darkness. Valayun frowned, her chest tight, but joined in step beside him as she lit the way.

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

"So teach me about chakra. And mana, for that manner, if you know anything about it," Meklavar said as they continued walking through the shade of the forest. It was peaceful and quiet - it seemed the dragon either went a different direction or stopped pursuing them entirely, and they continued at their steady and manageable pace for Pike's sake.

"The fundamental of chakra versus mana is _where_ it's coming from," he explained, his left hand still clutching his right shoulder. "Mana is everywhere. It's the magical source found in plants, water, storms, earth, fire… chakra is found within and is considered one's life force or even the energy of your own soul. When one dies from casting too powerful of a magical spell, if mana it's because the external force of the magic was too overpowering, if chakra it's because the caster drained themselves up dry."

Meklavar let out a thoughtful hum. "I can see now why only some people could use mana while others could not… it's like a sixth sense, either you can sense and use it or you can't. But what about chakra? Shouldn't everyone theoretically be able to use it?"

"Theoretically." Pike frowned. "Galra can't use chakra. And it's speculated that it's because they're so resistant to illness and poison and have such a high healing rate, that their chakra, for whatever reason, is automatically healing them all the time. From what I understand, everyone has chakra and it works by its own set of rules, being the cause of our emotions, our spiritual balance, and our intuition. Not everyone can manipulate the energy of their chakra… and I think it's simply that not everyone can understand or listen to spiritual energy within themselves. People are creatures of denial."

She stopped in her tracks, causing Pike to stop and turn to face her when he realized she wasn't by his side anymore. She was staring at the ground, her eyes covered in shadow from her helmet. "Do you think… if I came to accept what I am - dragonborn - that I could use my chakra as well?"

He pursed his lips, placing his left hand on his hip. "I don't know much about dragonborn. I would guess your 'chakra' is something entirely different from mine or anyone else's. Perhaps dragonshouts _are_ a form of chakra…"

"Perhaps…" She finally looked up, her gaze lost as she stared distantly. She blinked the trance away and continued walking forward. "You don't seem like someone who 'understands spiritual energy' within yourself…" The way he worded it sounded like he should have been some kind of spiritual monk or guru and Pike was anything but that. "So how can you cast chakra spells?"

"I'm khaliit," he said monotonously as he followed her. "We're at an advantage because we have stronger senses."

"But you can't sense mana…"

He shook his head. "I have primal instincts that help me naturally understand my connection with nature without even having to think about it."

"So what you're saying is you're naturally good at chakra because you're basically part animal?"

"Exactl- _hey!_ "

"Couldn't resist," she said with a playful nudge of her elbow. They continued walking side by side for a while in silence and Meklavar could practically feel the pouting energy coming from the khaliit. He did not like being compared to a cat, and yet she kept finding undeniable parallels. She never brought up those similarities in a negative context and even mentioned how she thought those similarities were adorable, which lead her to wonder why Pike associated animalistic traits as a fault… almost as if he hated what he was…

"Alright, it's your turn to teach me something." Pike's request broke her from her thoughts. "There's gotta be something you know that's interesting. Just don't pick something to do with history."

Meklavar laughed. "I actually really enjoy history," she said wistfully. "How about… the physical process of heat treating metal?"

"The what?"

"You know… sword forging?" Her eyes lit up with an excitement that was so precious he couldn't possibly deny. "So, metallic materials consist of a microstructure of small crystals called crystallites. The size and composition of the crystallites is one of the factors that can determine the overall mechanical behavior of the metal. Then the heat treatment provides a way to manipulate the properties of the metal by controlling the rate of diffusion and the rate of cooling within the microstructure. Heat treating is often used to alter the mechanical properties of a metallic alloy, manipulating properties such as the hardness, strength, toughness, ductility, and elasticity of the weapon."

Pike laughed with an amused smile on his face. "I didn't understand a word of what you said, but it was entertaining to see you ramble on like that."

"Here, I'll try to explain it better." She placed her hands together, fingertips touching. "The lattice structure of a metal can change depending on temperature. When it is cold, the atoms are tightly bonded like so. When the metal is heated up," she separated her fingertips so there was a small gap between them, "the lattice now has room for carbon atoms to flow in. And the metal is pounded into its shape," she flattened her fingers and connected the tips once more, "then cooled, and the metal is now stronger because it was refined into a more complex lattice."

He frowned and let out a thoughtful hum. "So what you're saying is that the sword is stronger because it changed under intense pressure…almost as if it adapted."

Meklavar nodded. "Or it was forced to change… its structural durability wouldn't survive the heat treatment otherwise."

"I don't think people are all that different from swords…" he mused.

She looked up at him, noticing the pensiveness in his stare and had to wonder what kind of 'heat treatment' the khaliit endured. She knew she had survived much and was refined in the fire in more literal ways than metaphorical, but Pike was right. People were like swords. Sometimes under pressure they adapted, other times they had no choice but to change.

"I think you may be right…"

The forest ended when they reached the edge of a cliffside overlooking the valley below. The sky and clouds were cast into brilliant oranges, pinks, and purples as the sun began to set. As her amber eyes took in the glorious expanse before them, she couldn't help but grab Pike's sleeve and excitedly point when her gaze found their destination.

"There's Korvanjund!"

Pike bent down to better align his eyes with where her finger pointed, his face practically squished next to the cool metal of her helmet, and saw a pillar within a clearing of trees and the entrance to an underground tomb. She moved her finger a ways to the left, or north, to point to a town, and he followed the movement with his head.

"And that's Darmuth. We can hit Korvanjund before meeting back up with our team in the city." She lowered her hand and turned to look at Pike who had pulled back to his full height. "You still willing to travel with me to a dragon's tomb?"

The corner of Pike's mouth curved into a smirk. "I'm willing to follow you anywhere, dragonborn."

He remembered that she preferred that title over 'princess' and that small detail caused her to smile.

 


	9. Into Korvanjund

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **][ CHAPTER WARNINGS ][** It gets graphic in this chapter - wounds are pretty severe but not too much detail is given. The next chapter, however, will delve more into the nitty-gritty.

"The real question is, are we going to make it to Darmuth before nightfall?" Pike asked.

"Probably not," Meklavar said. "But we can always set up camp at Korvanjund. Or simply travel in the dark." She shrugged. "You can see in the dark, can't you?"

"I don't fancy sleeping in or near a _tomb_ , thank you very much." He sighed. "And that's a myth, I can see well in _dim light_ , not complete darkness. So until the moon rises, I'll be just as blind as you."

"Ok fine, we can set up camp a _good distance_ from the tomb, ya scaredy-cat."

"Not 'scaredy,' I prefer 'rationally-suspicious cat,'" he corrected her as if it were a serious matter.

She raised one of her thick eyebrows at him. "You feeling alright? You just willingly referred to yourself as a cat."

"Yeah, you'll get over it." He tried to sound annoyed but she could hear the hint of a laugh in his voice.

When they finally reached the tomb the sun had set behind the mountains, enshrouding the world into dusk. The place was eerily quiet, not even the sound of birds or crickets crept through the trees that surrounded them. While Meklavar was staring at the erected obelisk and the craved marking within its stone face, Pike was pacing anxiously around the stone staircase that led into the dark obscurity of the tomb.

"Would you stop pacing? I can't concentrate."

He let out a frustrated growl. "Are we going to wait until it becomes completely dark to go into the creepy tomb, or would you like to go down there while there's still a shroud of light?"

"I'm trying to decipher this so we know what we're getting into."

"We're getting into a tomb, I could tell you that much."

She sighed. "I meant that I'm looking for any warnings of traps or something. This place is more than just a tomb… from what I've heard, at least."

He stopped pacing and gestured a hand dramatically towards her. "So what _does_ the pillar say?"

"I…" She bit her lip. "I don't know."

Pike narrowed his eyes at her. "You don't know? Then why have you been staring at it for ten minutes??"

"I…" she sighed in annoyance. "I was hoping _something_ would stand out to me, that I'd understand _something!!_ It's in the dragon language, I know that much. I'm supposed to _understand_ it though. What's the point of being dragonborn if I can't even do anything that a dragonborn is supposed to do!!?"

He creased his brows as he watched her frustration unfold. "Hey… I'm sure it'll come to you eventually. It's gotta be instinctual. How about we enter the tomb - I'm sure we can handle any traps down there - and see if it gives you the answers you're looking for?"

Meklavar blinked a few times before turning around to face Pike, a sad smile forming on her lips. "You suck at detecting traps, though."

"Ahhhggg yeah, I guess you're right." He waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I'll just set everything off and take the hits for you."

"Pike, _you'll die."_

"Nah, it should be fine. Come on, let's go!" He said a little too energetically as he leaped down the descending stairs instead of taking the steps like a normal person.

 

][ [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haBm6oRAYo4) ][

 

For someone who was being a 'scaredy-cat' only moments ago, Meklavar had to wonder if his sudden enthusiasm was simply hiding his fear. She fell in step behind him, watching the tunnel suddenly light up with an orange glow as he ignited a makeshift torch with a fire spell. After descending the stairs and traveling along a hallway, the tomb opened up to a massive space that descended several stories, and once she stepped around Pike she could see why. Lying upon the cavern floor was the entire pearly skeleton of a dragon. The bones glowed with a ghostly green light, turning the tomb into something that looked less sacred and more otherworldly. 

"That's gotta be placed there by magic, right?" Pike asked.

Meklavar felt herself in a trance. Something pulled her to the bones which were suspended in the air to form the shape of the dragon as if it were lying curled up on the ground, missing only its flesh. She could feel the magic wasn't mana or chakra or even dark magic - it was distinctly _dragon_ , and it was calling out to her very essence and drawing her in.

"Mek?" Pike turned to see she was descending the winding stairs at a quick pace and ran after her. When they both reached the bottom and stood near the dragon's skull, he noticed Meklavar's eyes were glowing a bright yellow that was nothing like her usual warm amber hues. Her green markings glowed faintly beneath the red paint adorned upon her cheeks. When no response came, he felt his heart quicken. Something was _wrong_. Even if this was dragon magic for the dragonborn to find, there was something undeniably _sinister_ about it that make a chill travel down his spine, causing his tail to jolt. He spoke louder in hopes that the sound would clear her mind. "MEKLAVAR!"

" _Het zu'u los, fuun zu hin zul. Zu'u hin dovahkiin, zu'u lost hin sil."_ Her voice was harsh and thunderous, as if it was no longer herself speaking as she recited the dragon tongue. After her echo died in the cavern, the bones began to _move,_ and flesh appeared to slowly cover the skeleton like water rippling over stones.

Pike realized too late that this wasn't a tomb.

It was a _prison._

When the dragon was fully formed, Meklavar finally woke from her trance, her eyes returning to their normal color but her markings remained glowing upon her face. She blinked rapidly, her lips parting in shock. "What… have I done?"

"I don't know but you started speaking dragon and _that_ happened!" Pike flailed a hand towards the dragon which now observed their presence, it's brilliant copper eyes gleaming in the firelight. The glowing green magic that encompassed the bones was now gone, leaving most of the cavern in solid darkness save for the small circle of light from the fire of Pike's torch. They were stuck in a dark tomb with a resurrected dragon and Pike felt the dread hit him that there was no way they would make it out alive.

His dread was confirmed when the dragon's neck began to glow orange.

The light gave him enough sight to dodge the wall of fire, but he saw that Meklavar was completely bathed in the malicious flames. For a split second he panicked but quickly remembered how she said she was immune to fire. In a desperate attempt to level the playing field, Pike blew out his torch before the dragon finished breathing its onslaught of fire, leaving the cavern in complete darkness.

He hoped his sense of smell and hearing would be enough to outsmart a dragon.

Before he could run to Meklavar, the dragon _spoke_ , and even Pike could understand it.

" _You are dragonborn, champion who awoke me."_ Its voice was deep and as rough as its scaly hide. " _I have slept for too long… only those who seek knowledge can awaken me. Show me what you know, and I shall teach you the ancient ways."_

Meklavar was still shaken from the fire she bathed in only seconds ago. She could tell her armor was hot but it didn't hurt her. Parts of her underlayers had melted away, but otherwise her body was completely unharmed. She searched for the dragon but the tomb was pitch black. She didn't know where Pike was, his torch was gone, and for all she knew he could have been lying on the ground a few feet from her, burnt alive from the dragon's breath.

"Pike!" She called desperately, her voice echoing through the cavern.

" _Answer me, champion. Are you worthy of the mantle bestowed upon you?"_

"I…" She could feel the sweat dripping down her temples, her knees beginning to shake. "I don't know… I know nothing about what I am, I was hoping you would have some answers for me."

Pike felt the tension in his chest begin to ease - perhaps this dragon would just talk with them. A shadow of doubt was still cast over his mind, however, and he slowly inched his way towards the spot where he thought Meklavar was, based on her scent and the sound of her beating heart.

" _You know nothing?"_ The dragon stirred and the sound of its tail scraping against the ground filled the cavern. " _You come to me desiring knowledge and have nothing to offer in return?"_

"I-I know plenty of things!" She answered nervously. "What do you want to know?"

" _You know nothing of the ancient ways. You are not prepared for what is to come. You are no champion of mine."_

The dragon began to move in on Meklavar, but Pike had reached her side, grabbing onto whatever part of her he could hope to grasp. He hissed in pain as one of his hands made contact with her armor which was still hot from the fire, but successfully teleported both of them out of the way in the nick of time. The dragon's fanged maw snapped around thin air as they appeared at the top of the stairs to the cavern.

"If we live through this, remind me to thank you," Meklavar muttered.

He pulled her along with the hand that touched her arm so she would be led in the right direction. His other hand was burned badly, but he didn't have time to think about that now. Pike could tell where the tomb entrance was thanks to the wind outside, otherwise every direction was solid black.

They could hear the dragon clamoring up the walls of the tomb, crushing the stony steps and breaking through the hallway behind them. When they reached the surface it was still incredibly dark, but Pike could at least see to some extent. Before they could run very far, the dragon emerged from the ground with a furious roar, sending rocks and earth flying through the air as its body lurched from the opening it created. It happened too fast for either of them to react in time before the giant slab of stone came crashing down between them.

 

][ [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXtSsbV60hQ) ][

 

Pike was thrust from the impact, rolling away until he slammed into the trunk of a tree with a yell of pain. Meklavar was pinned beneath the stone, her leg crushed beneath its weight. She couldn't move and the dragon was approaching her with teeth bared. The panic set into her veins, her breaths coming in short. She had to do _something_ , but she was powerless against a dragon when she was supposed to be _dragonborn._

_I'm sure it'll come to you eventually. It's gotta be instinctual._

She spoke dragon in the tomb, she spoke dragon when Pike downed the silver one. She knew his words were right. It _had_ to be instinctual. It was already within her, she just had to _find_ it.

The dragon's claws scraped away the stone upon her leg, causing her to scream as the pressure was removed. One of the curved claws scraped her side, splitting her flesh open. Whether the dragon did that intentionally or by accident, it didn't seem to care.

" _You call yourself dragonborn, and yet the only thing you are is fireproof."_ The dragon raised its front leg, ready to tear her to ribbons. " _Prove to me your soul, not your flesh."_

She dug deep inside herself, tried to feel for the spiritual energy within which Pike spoke of, tried to understand some ancient power embedded within her mind, her heart, her soul. The fear and shock were too much, and as she gasped for breath she came up dry with no answer for the ancient being. She could see it in its eyes, a look of disappointment.

Then the claws came raining down.

Except the only pain she felt was from her leg and side when she was violently pushed aside.

Her head was ringing, her leg stabbing with pain, her open side leaving her completely powerless. She blinked several times as she tried to clear her mind and slowly used her arms to lift her upper body off the ground. When her eyes took in the scene and understood what had just happened, she felt her heart grow cold.

Pike had pushed her out of the way.

He wasn't moving.

"No…" Just saying the word hurt her side as tears began to form in her horrified gaze. The dragon reared its head back and began to ignite its throat, but something clawed its way out of her own and it was powerful enough to rival fire.

Whatever strange strain of dragon words escaped her mouth like thunder, it was enough to make the dragon stop. She stared at the creature, breathless, heart pounding so hard she wondered if she would bleed herself out dry. She wanted to check on Pike but she didn't dare break eye contact with the devil before her.

" _Dragonborn Yekaterina, I hear your voice."_ The dragon's wings began to unfurl. " _You may yet be worthy of the mantle bestowed upon you. When you are ready to challenge me, shout my name and I will come. I am Ulaz, and if you are ready for it, I will bestow great knowledge upon you. Knowledge or death, young dovahkiin. Learn the ancient ways and you may survive."_ He gave her a slight nod of his elongated head, then took to the skies, shaking the ground in his wake before the clearing stilled in silence.

Meklavar tried to move towards her motionless companion but she didn't get far before she screamed out in pain. Her leg was useless, that much was obvious, but the fear overwhelmed her when she saw the sharp fractured bone poking out of the side of her calf. Her hand clutched her open side, desperately trying to keep herself together. She could feel deep bruises already forming on several parts of her body. Everything ached and screamed under the slightest pressure, but somehow, with her stubborn determination, she made it over to his side.

She knew long before she reached him that it was severe. She could tell that his wounds were on his front, and he was lying face down into the ground, crimson pooled about his lifeless body. She carefully pulled him to lie on his back and couldn't help the shuddered gasp when she saw the four claw marks trenched through his flesh. Her head was spinning, her stomach fell. The wounds cut deep enough that she saw more than merely blood glistening in the moonlight. Her breathing came heavy and she had to use all her strength to stay strong and not throw up all over him.

"Pike! _PIKE!_ " Meklavar's voice reached levels of desperation as she clung on to his broken body. There was so much blood. It covered his face, his hands, it was wet on his clothes, matted in his hair and on his ears. The stench was intense. It flashed painful memories through her amnesiac head, memories of her _own father covered in blood and screaming and fire and pain_ , but she couldn't focus on those _now_ when he was dying before her eyes.

The pain of the memories hit her like a blade being driven through her chest, causing her to visibly tremble, her tears manifesting as she released a shuddered sob. Her father's amber eyes stared lifelessly at her in her mind while his flesh burned in the flames of death and destruction.

"Pike, _please_ , say something! I can't…" She gasped, her sobs intensifying as tears cascaded down the glowing marks upon her face. She wanted to scream, so she did. " _I can't lose you too!_ "

Time stretched on for what felt like forever. Meklavar's hands tightened their grip around his shoulder, her side. She couldn't cast magic, she couldn't heal. She didn't have the tools to sew him back together. She couldn't drag his body to the nearest shelter, not with a broken leg. No one was around for miles. She couldn't apply pressure to his wounds to slow the bleeding. The claw marks were too wide, too deep, and too many. Her only approach was to have him remain facing up so gravity would keep as much blood inside his body.

Meklavar held her breath when she saw Pike finally stir. He jolted with a shaky inhale that held the undertone of a weak purr. His deep blue irises found her through the thin sliver he could muster to keep his eyes open. His voice was below a whisper, but the elf leaned in close so she could hear.

"Katya…"

The name caused her to still, her amber eyes widening in horror. _It can't end like this…_ Before she could fully process her shock and how blood spilled from the corner of his mouth like an omen, he weakly spoke the words she thought would be his last:

"It was an honor… to serve by your side…"

When his eyes closed she screamed.

 

 


	10. Retrace II: The Invasion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **][ CHAPTER WARNINGS ][** There are some pretty intense gore and disturbing imagery in this chapter. The worst of it happens after the first section break ][ --- ][ and is done at the next break (otherwise everything else is just descriptions of blood)

][ [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-kvudqE4RE) ][

 

He could never forget the first time he took a life.

It happened in the middle of the night when he awoke to the castle shaking, people screaming, and a spine-chilling roar that could only come from a dragon.

The castle was under attack.

Another blast shook the ground, causing Pike to almost fall on his face when he scrambled out of his bed. He collided with his sister in the dark of the kitchen, causing both of them to yelp out in surprise.

"Nika what's going on?"

"I don't know." Although she was good at hiding it, he could hear the faint tones of fear in her voice. "I heard someone yell 'dragon.' Why would a dragon attack the castle?"

"It's not a dragon," he said with a realization when he remembered the princess' words. "Well, it _is_ a dragon, but... someone must be controlling it - this is a planned attack!"

"Controlling it? What do you mean?"

Before Pike could answer, their mother ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife from the block. "Arm yourselves," she said hastily as she tossed one to each of them. They caught them effortlessly although Pike let out a strangled whine of protest.

" _Mooommm_ are you trying to make me lose a hand?"

"Veronica, find your brothers and head for the eastern passageway. Pike, you and I will find Rae and meet up with them in the orchard."

"Rae? She's not in her room?" He turned his head towards the passage on his left. He already knew his mother's answer but it still made his stomach churn.

"She's probably in the astronomy tower," she said, her voice shaking. Rae had terrible insomnia and would often seek refuge in the astronomy tower on nights she couldn't sleep. Any other night would have been fine but tonight, when a dragon was attacking, a tower was the worst place to be. Pike could see it in Sapphira's eyes - she was worried her daughter was already dead.

He took a step towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find her." The ground shook more violently than before, causing all of them to nearly lose their footing. From the sound and vibration, Pike could tell that a part of the castle had completely fallen apart. His heart pounded unceasingly in his ears and he could feel a cold sweat of dread start to take over his senses as the adrenaline threatened to consume him.

"I'll see you at the orchard!" Veronica called over her shoulder before disappearing up the spiral staircase. Pike looked to his mother and nodded, both of them following after her into the chaos that rampaged on the upper levels.

Everything became louder with each level they ascended. The screaming increased, guards and castle workers ran everywhere, the stench of blood and smoke and fear overwhelmed his senses. He saw elves and galra running around wearing uniforms he didn't recognize fighting the royal guard. Elves and galra were longtime enemies - to see them working together in their siege against the castle was a strange sight. Pike didn't know what to think of it and he didn't have time as he and Sapphira navigated through the panicked maelstrom. They ran fast enough that anyone who tried to attack them simply got slashed with a kitchen knife as they passed. Pike couldn't afford to think about whether or not he killed people, but the worry still gnawed at the back of his mind as the instinct to survive kicked in.

Rescuing Rae became much more difficult when they reached the gaping divide of the castle.

The floor fell away, stone crumbled apart and beams from the wooden floor splintered up at odd angles. There was a thirty-foot gap between them and the rest of the castle as if the dragon had flown through the very castle walls and divided it like slicing a piece of bread. There wasn't much castle left past the divide, but one of the most important rooms remained in the small section.

"They're isolating the royal family," Pike gasped. "They're-"

Before he could finish, the dragon's roar broke through the air, followed by furious flames lighting up the night sky. Their attackers were turning the royal family's bedchambers into an oven, and Pike suddenly felt helpless to save his sister or anyone as he watched the flames consume the hall out of their reach.

"What about the basement?" He turned to his mother. "There's got to be a tunnel down there that still connects to that part of the castle."

"Y-you're right," she said, pulling herself out of a daze. Her eyes betrayed her distracted fear - he could tell she was still dreading Rae's inevitable death. Pike absently wondered if their attempt to save her was only risking their lives for naught, but at the same time they couldn't give up on her that easily. "We'll just head towards-"

The approaching of enemies caused both of them to whip their heads in alarm. They were about to be cornered and they were grossly outnumbered. Pike's muscles tensed and he gripped the kitchen knife in his hand as he prepared for the oncoming fight. "We could try jumping," he suggested, not exactly in the mood to fight soldiers armed with swords with nothing but a knife.

"We're on the fourth floor, Pike, even a khaliit would break their leg from that height," Sapphira's tone was oddly calm, and he didn't like where her train of thought was headed. "We can't make the leap across either," she turned to look at him, grabbing him by the shoulders. The look in her face caused his eyes to widen as he realized what she was doing.

"I love you and I'm sorry Pike… but a mother must always do what's best for her children."

Before he could respond or protest, Sapphira bent down and grabbed him by the leg, spun him around and released him into the cool night air. He landed hard against the wooden floor on the other side, rolling a few times with pained grunts. When he pulled himself up he saw his mother fighting their enemies all on her own and she fought as valiantly as one could against so many opponents. Her efforts were futile as they overpowered her, and Pike's heart sunk into his stomach when he saw one of the elves use mana to clasp a collar around her neck.

He sat there expecting to watch his mother die before his eyes, but somehow hearing the click of her sealed fate felt so much worse.

He was too numb to scream out like he wanted, but luckily his reflexes were fast enough to dodge the arrows that narrowly missed him. He scrambled to his feet and ran further into the roaring flames of destruction. He didn't know if Rae was alive. His mother was just taken captive. He had no idea if his brothers were alright - they were probably fighting for their lives. Veronica could have been dead or taken captive as well. He didn't have time to dwell on such things, yet it seemed that's all that occupied his mind: Worry and pure instinct.

When a blood-curdling scream echoed through all the noise, Pike felt his veins turn cold. He ran towards the sound, dodging a flaming beam as it fell from the ceiling, coughing as he made his way through burning rubble and a collapsed hole in the stone wall. The source of the distress came in clearer and his heart stopped when he saw the princess sobbing and screaming in a burning room.

He was about to call out her name but then he saw the _reason_ she was crying.

King Samuel was pinned under flaming wreckage from his crumbling castle, drenched in blood, staring lifelessly at his daughter.

The man who saved his family was dead.

Pike tried to swallow the lump in his throat but his voice still shook when he called out to her. "Your Highness, we have to go!" He could hear the dragon's roar in the distance - it was about to make another round. He placed his hands on her shoulders and encouraged her to stand on her feet. He could hear the popping of the wood surrounding them and the creaking of the floorboards as the whole room threatened to collapse while they were still within it. He rushed her out of the room just before the room sunk away with a burst of flames.

He held her hand as he half led, half dragged her down the hallway. Katya continued to gasp and cry in pain as they stumbled through the wreckage of her home and he could feel his own eyes begin to water. He couldn't tell if it was from the broken and unknown state of his family, watching his mother sacrifice herself for him, seeing King Samuel and the princess' grief, the abundance of smoke, or a combination. His lungs were screaming for fresh air, his eyes burned, and he was starting to become acutely aware of all the bruises and cuts on his body. He knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer - he had to get out of the castle. But first, he had to ensure the princess was safe and try to find his sister. Both priorities seemed impossible when he heard the approaching footsteps of enemies around the corner.

"This way," he hissed as they turned down a different hallway, but before they could make much progress the ceiling collapsed, blocking their path with fire. "Not this way."

They were unarmed. Pike had lost his kitchen knife when his mother threw him and Katya didn't have anything on her unless she was hiding a dagger somewhere in her torn up silver and green nightgown. The soldiers approached closer and Pike's ears flattened in fear. He turned to look at the princess as a wild idea passed through his frenzied mind.

"You're fireproof, right?" He remembered her telling him she couldn't be burned because she was dragonborn, and now seemed like the best time to utilize that ability.

Katya blinked a few times, her face pure confusion. "Yeah, why??"

"Down this hallway you'll go all the way down until it splits, take a right, and down about fifty feet there is a secret passage in the wall that leads directly outside. Pull the candlestick down and twist it to the left."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm just doing the best I can to save you." He bent down and scooped her up in his arms, taking one last look at her broken amber eyes. "Thank you… for giving me and my family a chance to _live_ … this is me simply returning the favor, your Highness."

Her eyes widened as it clicked within her mind what he was about to do. "Pike! No, don't-!"

With a quick run and jump, he chucked her over the rubble and through the flames. She hit a beam of wood and toppled down onto the other side with violent rolls, but otherwise made it safely through the wreckage. She wanted to climb back over the barrier to help Pike fight, but she knew she would be useless and he gave her this opportunity, possibly gave up his _life_ so that she may survive. With a frustrated scream, she got up and ran according to the directions he gave her.

She stopped at the end of the hallway when she heard his frighteningly unnatural scream. Her heart ached when she turned her head over her shoulder and heard nothing but silence. A moment later, the hallway where he was collapsed, sinking whatever hope she had left of him surviving this invasion.

She let out a shaky breath. "I won't let your sacrifice be in vain," she rasped her promise. She pushed forward, tears streaming down her face as she ran towards the last chance she had of making it out of this nightmare.

 

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

 

Pike was cornered up against a wall of fire and weaponless as four galra soldiers pressed in. Despite his odds, he was counting his lucky stars that none of them were _elves_ who could manipulate mana-based slave collars. He somehow dodged that fate.

Now he just had to survive.

Galra were strong and one of the most resilient species, but he had his own advantages to play. He just had to play his turns wisely in the duel of life and death. When the giant one lunged forward to strike, he jumped out of the way and slammed a kick into her face, claws unsheathed, sending ribbons of blood through the air as his toes dug into flesh.

The second one was already making a move, but Pike was faster. He narrowly avoided the strike of throwing knives just to have the third galra lunge and pin Pike up against the wall, her purple eyes as fierce as the dagger burned into his neck. The giant one was clutching her right eye where his claws left their mark.

"Axca! I think we ought to teach this cat a lesson."

"It's too bad I didn't bring any collars," the one with coral skin said in far too cheerful of a tone. She must have been half-breed based on her appearance and the fact she could supposedly use mana. "We could have made him our little assistant. You know, sharpen our weapons, shine our boots."

"Shut up, Ezor," the one pinning him against the wall hissed. She had a knee pressed up against his thigh, her free arm pressed against his shoulders. "He was with the _dragonborn_ , he might be able to tell us something. Remember the mission."

" _I won't tell you anything,"_ Pike snarled with fangs bared and eyes narrowed. She had him pinned so that no matter how much he squirmed to try and swipe a hand at her or kick her he was powerless. Any resistance from him only pressed her to dig the blade deeper into his neck. With a growling inhale he pulled out his last card as he spat directly into his offender's eyes.

Axca immediately released him as she wiped at her eyes but he didn't stop there. Something primal broke in his mind and a newfound fire surged in his veins as the fight or flight instinct kicked in hard. Pike lunged forward, slapping her dagger away and pinning her to the ground. His jaws found contact with the soft flesh of her neck and he dug his fangs in deep. She let out a gurgled cry and Ezor kicked him so hard he went flying. It was a poor decision on her part since Pike's fangs took part of Axca's throat with him. He spat out the flesh as well as sloshes of his own blood as he weakly got up onto his feet, coughing and growling.

Ezor rushed over to her comrade and started casting some kind of healing spell. " _Get him, Narti."_

The one he was pretty certain was half argonian tackled him with frightening speed. She was unarmed as well but her hands had formidable claws that dug into the flesh of his shoulders. Pike barely noticed the pain anymore as he wrestled against her for his life, both of them snarling, a mess of rolling limbs and thrashing tails. As the blood wildly surged through his veins the survival instinct intensified like a drug.

He was pinned on his back, struggling to hold back Narti's hands with his own, when he brought his knees up to his chest underneath her and began kicking. His claws dug into her abdomen, tearing and pulling as he feet began to catch more than just skin. The argonian started to pull away with a pained hiss but he dug his nails into her forearms, keeping her in place. The squelching and the stench and the wet warmth against his feet were enough to make Pike want to vomit, but he kept pushing, seeing it through to the end that his prey was finished.

When he was satisfied that he disemboweled her enough that she would no longer be a threat, he thrust her off and rolled up onto his feet, nearly slipping in the remains that lay strewn about. Seeing that the coral one was still healing the one missing half her throat, that only left the large galra.

He thought about fighting her but decided to make a run for it instead. Unfortunately she was faster, grabbing him by the tail and yanking, slamming him into the floor with a pained cry. He felt the wood ease under the impact of his landing and knew the floor wouldn't hold for much longer. She took a heavy step towards him and that was the last the floor could take. Where her blade would have normally found place slashing across his chest it had altered trajectory as they fell into the flames below. Between gravity pulling him down, the heat engulfing him, and the white-hot pain that split into his skull and the sound of his unnatural scream, panic raced through his heart threatening it to explode.

He fell through more than one floor, and the impact wasn't pretty.

 

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

 

There were a lot of things Katya couldn't understand. 

Who wanted to attack the castle? Who was so adamant that her family die? Why were _elves and galra_ working together? Who was commanding _Zarkon_ , the most feared of dragonkind?

Who, exactly, was she up against?

While sorrow gripped her heart in a cold vice, Katya was mostly _angry_. She was livid that while so many people had to die, here she was safe and sound with only a few cuts and bruises. Most of her nightgown was burned away but her skin was perfectly fine and she hated it. She _deserved_ to suffer as everyone else had. Why couldn't she have died alongside her father? Why couldn't she have fought alongside Pike? Why did she have to _survive?_

She pushed forward down the dark tunnel, the light from the candlestick she held offering little vision. The secret passage was mostly descending stairs before it leveled out into a stony hallway and she reckoned she had to be at the level of the basement, possibly even deeper. She let out a soft gasp when she almost ran into a rock wall, but on further inspection she saw it was a collapse.

Her escape was blocked. She was trapped.

 

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

 

][ [music](https://youtu.be/AqdekMQuFh0) ][ 

 

He couldn't stop his hands from shaking. 

He couldn't stop _anything_ from shaking.

If it weren't for the fire that surrounded him, Pike still would have thought he was burning alive. The searing pain carved into his head like a knife cutting through butter and he wanted to scream but he knew doing so would _hurt_. Everything hurt, and doing anything more than the rapid breathing his lungs produced or the tight clawing of his hand pressed against his face seemed physically impossible. With every fevered breath, he only inhaled more smoke. Every minute he remained on his hand and knees meant more blood loss as the hot crimson dripped between the gaps of his fingers.

At this rate saving his eye was the least of his concerns.

At this rate he was going to die.

The world was screaming around him as wood snapped and fire crackled and the ever tumultuous roaring of the dragon continued as it raged upon the castle. All he could smell was smoke, flesh, and blood. He was covered in it, practically dripping in crimson. He probably would have barely noticed the blood streaming from his eye if it weren't for his hand pressed up against the carved mark.

He started to pull himself up to his feet but gasped out in pain as his foot nearly made contact with intense heat. Lifting his foot, he saw there was a red hot slab of metal beneath him, and he realized the smell of burning flesh was _his own_. He was covered in too much blood to see the extent of the damage but he knew enough about burns from his mother to understand that his shins were suffering third or fourth-degree burns. That's why they didn't hurt. The pain of his landing must have masked the initial contact with the metal or the melting of his skin was so instantaneous that he didn't notice it.

With a pained inhale he crawled over the hot metal and finally pulled himself up to his feet, instantly regretting it as his world span in tumultuous dips. He couldn't make sense of the castle's layout anymore - it was a mess of flames and rubble - and he had no idea if any of those galra soldiers had fallen through and survived, waiting to attack him.

As the shock and pain coursed through his body in violent waves, everything became a blur. Pike wasn't sure how he managed to pull through the heat and smoke and injuries, but he reckoned it was some drive from his primal instincts pushing him to survive, urging him to keep on fighting. Even if he made it out of the castle he wasn't certain he would live through the extent of his wounds or the smoke plaguing his lungs. He was ready to die protecting the princess and now he was coming to terms with that accepted fate. Deep in his weakly beating heart, he felt no regret at his decision.

All he felt was anguish for his mother and a faint hope for the safety of his siblings and Katya.

Perhaps that is what drove him to keep moving forward.

 

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

 

Katya struggled in vain to try and move the giant stones out of her way only to scream in frustration. In the wake of her echo came the roar of the dragon, except this time it was so dangerously close that she could feel a spine-chilling shiver of death wash over her. The ground convulsed, causing her to fall onto her knees. She looked down the hallway and saw light descend in fiery rain 

The Dragon had found her.

_"Come, little Yekaterina. Do not sully the dovahkiin name by hiding in a corner."_

She knew if she stayed the dragon would simply continue to breathe fire until it could properly claw its way down the tunnel to her. Besides, Zarkon was right. There was no dignity in hiding in her hole until death found her - she would rather meet it face to face just as her father and Pike had. They were brave enough to confront their fate and she intended to follow in their footsteps.

 _"Fine, I am coming,"_ she said unknowingly in the dragon tongue. She began her ascent up the stairs, each step weighing her with the reality of all the death and destruction that surrounded her. How many lives were lost for her, and it would all be for naught as she approached the devilish maw of the ebony dragon towering above her. How she wished she could have learned more about the ways of the dragonborn and understand the power that surged deep within her. There was little her expansive training could do to save her now, even if she was armed with a sword. She was the one person who could stand up against the terrifying beast and yet she was utterly powerless.

Near the last few steps, she thought of her father's lifeless stare, his blood which stained the carpet, Pike's last words and the sad endearment in his crystalline eyes. The hurt and heartache boiled in her veins and consumed her mind as she walked towards death, staring it directly in its crimson eyes.

She refused to have it all end like this.

Something surged inside her, overtaking her senses and urging her to scream. She looked up at the dragon, the pain manifesting in her wet eyes, and took a deep inhale before letting out her suffering. It came not as a cry or scream but as something far more ancient and demanding. The blast of her dragonshout pulled all her pain and suffering and reflected it upon her enemy. Zarkon stumbled back with a bone-chilling shriek and although she was just as startled as he, Katya took no time to dash past his cruel claws and run for her life. The dragon continued to writhe in pain as if being shocked by an electrical current, destroying even more of the castle as he rolled and lashed about.

She had never run so fast in her life. Her heart felt as if it were about to explode, her breaths coming in quick and stinging from the smoke. Despite the castle's inferno, she only had to maneuver around rubble and holes in the floor. The flames licked at her frantic feet in vain. Too many people died to ensure she survived - she was determined to see their promises fulfilled.

The moment she thought she would make it was when she heard the approaching wings of darkness. Curved claws encased her body as she was lifted up into the air with frightening speed. She could see the castle's remains like a half-eaten corpse, sparks dancing through the pillars of smoke that blotted out the stars of the night sky. She struggled against the dragon's grasp but she was nothing but a little bug in the clutches of a bird.

 _"Dovahkiin, you surprise me,"_ Zarkon rumbled in a voice as dark as his scales. _"Alas, your trick will not be enough to defeat me, nor save yourself. Farewell, blood of my blood."_

Her eyes widened in horror as Zarkon's claws released her into the void.

 

 

 


	11. Sutures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **][ CHAPTER WARNINGS ][** If you couldn't guess, there's gore in this one too. Pike gets stitches - so you can imagine what kind of gore that would entail. I don't go into as much detail as I normally do, but if you're squirmish with blood specifically there is a part in this chapter that may bother you. (Also I do not go into any detail concerning Meklavar's open fractured bone)

][ [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvjRQLVyMuA) ][

 

She thought she was hallucinating when she heard footsteps approaching the tomb. She blinked away the tears from her bloodshot eyes, squinting to see the figure in the distance. As the tall figure approached closer, Meklavar's heart skipped a beat as she recognized that fiery ginger hair and mustache.

"K-Korhan! _Korhan!!_ "

He ran at the sound of her voice, kneeling down to be on her and Pike's level. "Princess, what happened?? Why are you at the tomb of Korvanjund??"

"No time to explain," her words spilled out clumsily. "We need to heal him, please tell me you can save him."

Korhan gazed down at the lifeless khaliit at her side, giving a solemn nod. "I will try." He scooped Pike up in his arms and stood, about to head out when he saw Meklavar stand up and stumble with a wince. "Princess, your leg! Your side!"

" _I'm fine!_ " she snarled through gritted teeth. She picked up her axe and used it as a makeshift crutch as she hobbled along behind him, still clutching her open side. "I'll manage! _Save him…. please_."

The elf narrowed his eyes in determination. "I'm not abandoning either of you."

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

Korhan managed to carry Pike in his arms and Meklavar upon his back as she hung from his shoulders, arms around his neck. He did a crude setting of her tibia and wrapped Pike's scarf as a makeshift splint and bandaging around her torso until he could properly treat her wounds. He walked with the both of them deep into the forest, Meklavar releasing a shout of pain every time her leg bumped against Korhan's. The antagonizing journey seemed like it would never end, but finally after traveling through the woods for a good distance, they reached the entrance to Korhan's Castle of Lions. 

The Castle of Lions was Korhan's greatest invention as an artificer (with some help from Alfor). It appeared to be nothing but a large elaborate white tent with the space to fit maybe half a dozen adults, but inside it was the size of a small house. The cloaking faded once they passed through the magical barrier surrounding it and the tent was exactly as Meklavar remembered it - warm and inviting with the inked outlines of lions roaming around its fabric. The five lions all moved towards the door, curiously watching as they entered the tent.

Meklavar dropped from his shoulders with a grunt as soon as they were inside. Korhan rushed over to a long table and sloppily plopped Pike upon its surface, knocking several books and papers onto the floor. He rushed around his home, grabbing various bottles from shelves and rummaging through drawers for specific tools. When he returned to the khaliit's side, he called out to his fellow elf, "First, let's stitch up your side."

"No, you need to work on him first." She limped over to the table to stand opposite of Korhan and took off her gloves, her gaze determined.

"Princess, I am obligated to save and protect-"

"And as princess of Aurita _I command you_ to save him first!" She knew Korhan meant well but there was an edge to her voice. "I'm _dragonborn_ , I _will_ survive. I'm not so sure about him." 

Korhan's indigo hues glinted with understanding and he offered a nod. "Alright then. Start undressing him."

"U-undressing?"

"I can't sew him up with clothes getting in the way, Princess." He said it so matter-of-factly as he started threading and sterilizing a needle.

Meklavar did as he said and carefully pulled away Pike's layers. She grabbed a dagger off a nearby bookshelf to cut the fabric away from where it was stuck against his skin, even embedding within the trenches of his wounds. The mess was difficult to discern what was torn edges of cloth and what was rent flaps of skin. The wounds looked even worse upon the canvas of his dark exposed torso, digging deeply into his flesh. The giant dragon claw marks on his body reminded her of the crimson stripes that cut across his back. As her hand trailed across his spine while removing his shirt, Pike finally stirred from unconsciousness with a gasp.

"Pike?" Meklavar held him up as she finished pulling off his shirt, then gently laid him back down on the table. "Breathe, you're going to be okay." She wasn't exactly convincing as her voice shook. She carefully lowered his pants to expose the slash that went through his upper left thigh. When part of the fabric was removed from the gash, Meklavar narrowly avoided a crimson ribbon flying through the air.

She swore. "Artery! Arteryartery _artery!_ " It was all she could muster as her head started to swim watching the blood squirt everywhere.

"Apply pressure to his leg!" Korhan instructed as he threaded the needle as quickly as his hands would allow.

Pike was going into shock, his breaths coming in short and rapid, wincing every so often with the pain. His head darted around in fear, unable to focus on anything. Meklavar had to keep her hands pressed against his leaking leg, but she tried to get him to focus even though her voice continued to shake. "Pike. Look at me. You need to breathe. Korhan is going to fix you up. I'm right here - you're going to be fine."

"I need you to hold his skin together while I sew it." Korhan cut in, his voice somber. "And…" He sifted through a nearby drawer until he pulled out a long leather belt which he then used to fasten around Pike's shoulders to pin him down upon the table. He let out a grunt as he tightened and secured the strap. "I wasn't planning on him being conscious. I suppose khaliit are tougher than I thought."

She quickly grabbed a kunai from Pike's satchel and offered the handle near his mouth. "It'll help. Trust me." With a shuddered breath, he accepted, clamping his teeth around the metal. He squeezed his eyes shut as he prepared for the inevitable pain.

"You ready?" Whether Korhan was asking Meklavar or Pike she was uncertain, but she nodded all the same, placing her hands where he directed her. When the hot needle made its first contact through his skin, Pike lurched against the restraint with a muffled scream, his fangs digging into the metal of his weapon. Korhan worked as quickly as he could with a squirming khaliit while Meklavar bit her lip to try and keep her tears from spilling over to no avail and Pike clawed at the wood of the table with trembling hands.

Meklavar had endured stitches many times, and as painful as they were it could not compare to the ache in her heart in this agonizing moment as she felt the shudders of Pike beneath her hands with every stitch, or how his hand clawed at her arm and held it like he was pleading her to take away his pain. She knew she couldn't. His nails dug in so ferociously that blood began to drip down her arm. She didn't even notice the pain… she could barely feel the pain in her leg or her side as she stared at his body slowly being pieced back together with a constant prayer that he would survive. He had to survive. Halfway through the second claw mark - the one which traveled directly across his stomach - Pike released the kunai from his jaws and his screams made everything more unbearable. They were raw, wild, panicked. Somehow Korhan was calm through the whole ordeal and she believed part of the reason she was able to endure it without screaming as well was because of his focused demeanor.

Pike screamed and winced and cried and Meklavar did all she could to try and soothe him through it. Her voice probably wasn't all that encouraging since she was crying as well, her side on fire and her memory flashing dangerous images through her mind, but she knew it would give him something to focus on and she felt a glimpse of relief when she saw his ears continually face her when they weren't instinctually pinned back in pain. When she thought they had passed the worst of it, reaching the end of the third giant claw mark and about to stitch the gash in his arm, Pike started _whimpering_. She wasn't sure if it was because he was exhausted from all the screaming, his pain had reached its peak, or if he had simply given up.

After four painstakingly long rows of stitches, the two longest cutting through his torso while the other two cut through his arm and thigh, Pike was finally sewed shut. Korhan continued to work, mixing various ingredients to brew some kind of magical salve or painkiller, Meklavar wasn't certain. All she knew was that at some point she and Pike began holding hands. His breaths were weak but moved in a more steady pattern, each exhale vibrating with purring patterns. His eyes were closed and she hoped he would soon fall in a deep sleep. Korhan returned to the table and gently applied a salve over the sutures, the cream glowing a vibrant green before magically absorbing into Pike's skin. Korhan crouched by Meklavar and began working on stitching up her side. She continued staring at Pike as she tried not to think about the needle digging into her side, but the occasional cry or scream still escaped her lips.

"Do you remember him at all?"

"…What?" She wasn't sure if she was confused or if it was a delayed reaction of the pain in her leg getting to her.

"I'd recognize those markings anywhere. He's a Cimclan. They were a family of khaliit that worked for the royal family."

Meklavar blinked a few times, letting out a slow exhale. It felt like Korhan was finished, his hand slathering the cool cream against her side. He stood up and returned to the kitchen as the sharp pain in her head returned. The name sounded so _familiar_ , yet distant. Instead she diverted the true aim of the question. "You can recognize khaliit by their markings?"

"Yeah, kind of like elves," his voice sounded around the corner. "Although all our markings on our faces are the same shape, the color is genetically inherited. Khaliit are the same, although their markings can take different shapes. This boy looks just like his mother, Sapphira." He made a wistful face. "She made the best peach cobbler."

She honed onto Pike's face as if she were looking at him for the first time. She stared, numbly, for far too long, as if staring for long enough would trigger the memory in her head once again. Without realizing, fresh tears spilled down her face and her voice broke in a hollow tone as she recalled the memory that invaded her mind when she saw Pike dying in her arms.

"I got my markings from my father."

She saw out of her peripherals that Korhan slowly made his way into the room. She never took her eyes of Pike, never dared blink. She was lost in her memory, a ghost that crept its way from the recesses of her broken mind and decided to haunt her.

"I saw him," her voice cracked. "I saw him. My father is _dead_. I saw him when I smelt the blood all over Pike, it must have… it must have, the smell must have triggered the memory. My father is dead. _My whole family is probably dead_. Thinking they were alive… thinking they were somehow just… _lost_ , out there, somewhere for me to find… it was all _a lie_." The word burned in her mouth like acid, it hurt the lump of emotion that threatened to choke her. She gasped sharply as her tears flowed more heavily, dripping from her chin in silent sorrow. "My family is dead, Korhan. They're all dead."

The elf didn't say anything. Instead his gentle hands found her shoulders and held her. After a moment, Meklavar collapsed, gripping tightly to Pike's hand and one of Korhan's, her head turning to sob into the embrace of the man who was the closest thing she had left to family.

 

 

][ --- ][ 

 

 

Pike was carefully moved to rest on a bed, and Korhan fitted Meklavar with a magically enhanced splint that made it feel anything but broken. Korhan couldn't cast straight up spells to make someone heal, but he could create machinery that worked magical wonders and he knew alchemy better than anyone else she ever met. He wasn't blessed with raw talent in the field of magic like most elves, but he was clever and tenacious and those skills alone made him better than most trained sorcerers.

"How did you find us?" Meklavar asked, her voice sounding hollow. She sat at the edge of the bed, a mug of steaming tea in her hands and wearing a fresh, comfortable set of pink sleepwear.

"I had a device stationed at Korvanjund's tomb to alert me if anyone decided to release Ulaz from his grave." He and Meklavar spoke in hushed tones to keep Pike from waking. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Never thought it'd be you to do it, Princess, but nonetheless I was notified so I raced over here as fast as I could. Good thing I followed my hunch, I considered ignoring it."

She couldn't help but feel this was all her fault. She looked at Pike, who appeared dead if it weren't for the subtle rising and falling of his chest and the phantom whispers of purring. The sutures that held him together were currently glowing a vibrant green - even the stitching thread was enchanted with healing capabilities.

"Is he going to live?"

"Oh, I'm certain of it," he reassured as if he were some kind of seer and already saw a possible future where he survived. "Khaliit are incredibly resilient. We were able to treat him pretty quickly, so he should be fine within a few days."

She wanted to believe Korhan, but her eyes kept lingering on the stitches that marred Pike's body. She noticed the khaliit was covered in scars, some small and insignificant while others were just as large and gruesome as the fresh ones currently upon his skin. She shouldn't have been too surprised because of his profession, but she still wondered the stories which lied behind each mark. She took a sip of her tea, realizing with the powerful kick left in the aftertaste that Korhan had added some healing ingredients.

Meklavar wanted to keep her hands busy as a distraction since her mind kept wandering to dangerous corners. After several attempts, she convinced Korhan to let her help chop and organize alchemy ingredients. It kept her mind off of her leg, away from the glimpses of her past, and eased her worry of Pike. Her conversation with the elf flowed naturally, and he was kind enough to stray away from any heartbreaking topics, changing the subject whenever necessary.

Once her hands began to ache from the work and Korhan nagged her to get some rest, she limped over to the bed and gently scooted Pike's body against the wall. She lifted the blanket and crawled underneath as she made herself comfortable curled up against his side. She stared up at his scarred eye before resting her head against his chest, feeling peace in the vibration of his healing purrs and the rhythm of his fighting heart.

 

 


	12. Morning Sunlight

][ [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A9H4uiaFsA) ][

When Meklavar next woke it appeared to be the middle of the night. The place was dark save for the faint glowing of ingredients in jars, various crystals scattered about, Pike's neon green stitches, and candlelight from around the corner. She pulled herself to her feet, her leg already feeling phenomenally better, and shuffled her way towards the light, her magically enchanted splint clicking with each step, to find Korhan fiddling with what looked like some kind of gauntlet. He spoke to her without looking up from his work. 

"Ah, princess. Awake at this hour?"

"Could say the same of you," she offered groggily, surprised at how raspy her voice sounded. She took a seat at the table, her amber eyes exhausted but curiously watching the dexterous movements of his lithe fingers all the same. "What are you working on?"

"Hopefully something that'll help you."

"Me? You don't have to make anything for me, Korhan."

"Too late," he said with a giddy chuckle.

Meklavar sighed with a smile. The last time she saw the elder elf was many years ago but he hadn't changed a bit. She wondered if he remained a constant even further into her past, a time where he helped her father and ate Pike's mother's peach cobbler. He told her he was a very close friend of her father, yet why couldn't she remember him? If she thought of him as a father figure now, he had to have been like an uncle to her way back then. Yet the memory of him was thin and blurred.

"How well do you know Pike?" Her head tilted slightly, her tone curious.

Korhan's smirk was devilish as his deep indigo eyes lifted to meet hers. "Asking an old man to learn more about your crush?"

"Crush??" Meklavar was wide awake now, her expression incredulous. "Don't be ridiculous. He's my friend. I'm not a little girl anymore, Korhan."

"Certainly not. You're a _woman_ now. So we ought to take these things even _more_ seriously." He pulled away from his work, lacing his fingers together as he rested his chin upon his hands. He was enjoying this far too much. "What do you want to know about your feline friend?"

"I-I don't know! Just…" She folded her arms and leaned back into her chair with a frown. "Aside from you, he's the only connection I have to my past. I just thought it'd be nice to know a bit more about what it all used to be like."

He let out a soft, thoughtful hum. "Can't say I know Pike incredibly well, but I saw him quite a bit. He was more of the quiet type. I doubt you two ever interacted though unless you somehow figured out how to escape to the kitchens or servant quarters in between all your lessons. Pike was busy doing his job as you were busy doing yours."

Her eyes shifted to the floor. "I figured as much… that's actually _… relieving_. I was afraid that we might have been close friends and he had to see me not even recognize him."

"Unless you two were lovers who met in secret at night, no, I don't think you two would even know each other's names. Well… Pike would have known your name, obviously, but not by Katya."

Meklavar's eyes widened as if she were just struck with an arrow. "Pike….he _does_ know my name. He spoke it as he was dying."

Korhan looked just as shocked but it was quickly replaced with suspicion. " _Were_ you two secret lovers??"

"Nooo! I would have remembered _that!_ "

"Princess, you couldn't even remember your _name_ when I first found you."

She let out a growl of frustration. "We couldn't have been! He would have acted differently when he first saw me, I would have _felt_ differently about him, I-" She brought her good knee to her chest, wrapping her arms around her leg. "There's gotta be a different reason for why he called me Katya."

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" He suggested as he returned to working on the gauntlet.

Meklavar knew that approach would probably be best, but a part of her was too nervous and she reckoned he wouldn't remember the words he spoke to her as he was dying anyway. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, watching Korhan tinker away with his tools for a moment before she responded. "Perhaps. When it feels right. Anyway, back to the original discussion - tell me what you know about him."

"He's the youngest of his family. He's got two brothers and two sisters, although I can't remember where they all fit age-wise. He was always by his mother's side whether it was helping with the dishes or preparing ingredients. From what Sapphira told me it sounds like Pike has some kind of emotional trauma and she always had him work with her so she could keep an eye on him, and that routine just kinda stuck even though he grew older and would have been fine on his own."

"Emotional trauma?" She straightened up slightly, wondering now if she had said or done anything that would have been harmful to the khaliit.

"Pike's family was rescued by the royal guard from a slave owner. King Samuel himself offered the Cimclans a home and jobs within his castle. While all the Cimclans were definitely affected by the years they lived as slaves, Pike was _born_ into slavery. He didn't know any different."

"…He was born a slave?" She couldn't even fathom what that lifestyle could have been like, but she felt her heart sink into her stomach. Thinking about Pike as a child not even understanding what freedom meant made her chest tight.

"I found out why Sapphira always wanted to keep Pike by her side when Pike nearly killed himself by following the request of some guards at a royal dinner. Pike has an instinctual need to fulfill any kind of order. It's as if he has a spell on him to always do as he's told. I'm sure he's outgrown it a bit by now, but it was terribly ingrained in him as a child."

"I wonder if that's why he took up the career of being an assassin," she thought darkly. "Killing people might be easier for him if he just thinks of it as an order to carry out."

Korhan frowned. "I never would have pegged that boy to become an assassin."

"Pike told me that the first time he killed anyone was during the Invasion." She had been wondering the same for quite some time and she was now voicing her thoughts on the matter. "He must have fought for his life, and doing that can change you. I know it has for me. Things can't ever go back to the way they were after you've taken someone's life, even if that someone was trying to kill you. Even if it's justifiable self-defense, you have to carry that weight upon your shoulders for the rest of your life."

Korhan stopped working to look up at Meklavar's downcast stare. His eyes shined with sorrow and adoration, his mouth curving into a bittersweet smile. "You speak beyond your years, princess. Your father would have been proud of the woman you've become."

She lifted her eyes to meet his, her smile uncertain. "Thanks, Korhan... How did Pike nearly die from following orders?"

"It's… actually a kind of funny story," Korhan giggled. "A guard was feeling sick to his stomach and another guard was thinking the peach cobbler was poisoned. Obviously there are taste testers in the castle to ensure the royal family never gets poisoned since even if Sapphira's cooking was perfectly safe the food could have always been tampered from the kitchen to the table. One of the guards told Pike to test the peach cobbler. The boy's deathly allergic to peaches."

"Oh my word." Meklavar couldn't help the laugh that escaped her throat. "Did he _know_ he was allergic to peaches?"

"Well, khaliit don't really eat fruit. I think most khaliit would just get an upset stomach from fruit but in Pike's case he turned out to be allergic to peaches specifically, so I doubt he knew. It was a mess of a night though. The guards thought for sure the cobbler was poisoned when Pike collapsed onto the floor. They started yelling that there was an assassination attempt. It wasn't until the medic figured out that Pike was in anaphylactic shock did the chaos die down."

"That must have been one of the nights I was pulled away by a hoard of guards to a safe room." She laughed. "And all because poor Pike ate some peaches! I don't know whether to find it funny or sad."

"It can be both." Korhan smiled. "So eh… I guess the moral of this story is be careful what you tell Pike to do. Because he will most likely do it." As he returned to his work, he asked, "How's the leg holding up?"

"Much better." She took a glance at her leg underneath the table. "Doesn't even feel broken."

"Good." He nodded. "Keep the brace on though, you should wait at least one more day for it to fully heal."

Meklavar tilted her head, noticing the dark circles under the elf's eyes. "Have you gotten any sleep, Korhan?"

"Nope. I wanted to stay awake to keep watch in case that dragon came back. Or if you or Pike needed any kind of medical assistance."

"Well, I'm wide awake now, so you get some rest. I'll keep watch."

Korhan looked like he was about to protest, but slumped his shoulders and sighed. "Alright, alright. But it'll be nothing more than a quick nap!"

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

][ [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbFkEVSm2JI) ][

Meklavar began to worry about Pike when she woke the next morning and he was still fast asleep. His breathing seemed normal, the stitches were still healing him since they continued to faintly glow green, and the beating of his heart drummed to a healthy rhythm (albeit way faster than her own - she learned from Korhan that khaliit had faster heart rates after she nearly had a heart attack when she checked his pulse). She was torn between waking him up to make sure he wasn't going into a coma and leaving him to his peaceful rest. After consultation and reaffirmation from Korhan, he persuaded her that he would be fine if left to slumber (and that khaliit could sleep for long amounts of time if left undisturbed).

Pike was still covered in blood, and although she was far too exhausted to have done anything about it before, she was determined to clean him up to the best of her ability. She gently wiped him down with a damp rag, careful not to touch anywhere too close to his healing wounds. She was about to wipe the crusted blood from his face when she hesitated, her hand tentatively hovering as she wondered if doing so would wake him up. He hadn't stirred in the slightest when she wiped down his arms and torso, so perhaps he was in too deep of a sleep to have felt her presence.

She took the risk and wiped off the black trail of dried blood from his lips down his neck, pausing a moment to assess any kind of reaction, and continued when Pike did nothing but sustain his normal breathing and purring. It was only a confirmation that his injuries were severe enough to negate his ninja (or rather cat-like) reflexes. The tension in Meklavar's shoulders eased as she worked on cleaning his peaceful face. Korhan had explained to her that purring was at a frequency that promoted healing and even helped broken bones. She wondered if her sense of tranquility came from the soothing pattern of his purrs or if it was simply a science that spoke to her broken leg. Either way, she welcomed the sound.

She froze when he released a soft groan, one of his ears swiveling cautiously back. His brows started to lower, his nose scrunching and lips twisting into an expression of discomfort. Meklavar waited for his disruption to pass, but it only worsened. His breathing became shaky and his whole body slowly started twitching in spasms which continually grew more violent as if he were experiencing some kind of nightmare.

"Pike…" she said his name nervously as if she were trying to calm a startled animal. One of his ears momentarily pointed towards the sound of her voice but was quickly overcome by the terror in his mind when his back arched and he whined in pain. Her hand reached out to hold the side of his face in an attempt to soothe him back to sleep but the contact must have triggered something deep inside. With lightning fast reflexes he twisted, his hand and teeth clamped around her arm and wrist, and she let out a shout at the sinking of his nails and fangs.

" _Pike!"_ Whether it was her increased volume or the fear in her tone she wasn't sure, but his eyes snapped open and he slowly eased his mouth off of her wrist, blood trailing from the contact. His hand relaxed but continued to hold her arm gently as he looked down at the damage he had done.

"Oh no…" he said it so sadly that it caused her heart to break.

"I'm sorry, you were having a nightmare or something and I was just trying to calm you down…"

Pike's brows lowered achingly, his eyes never leaving the wound he inflicted upon her porcelain skin. "Why are you apologizing, your Highness?"

Meklavar was dumbstruck by the title for a moment, but she soon realized the way he said it sounded achingly _familiar_. It was a phantom memory breaking the surface of her mind after staying submerged for so long. She gasped as if in pain, her eyes amber pools of heartache and understanding.

_Thank you… for giving me and my family a chance to live… this is me simply returning the favor, your Highness…_

It was the last words he spoke to her.

"Meklavar?" Pike's lips were parted in worry. "Are you alright?" She was unresponsive, her eyes lost in a distance he couldn't understand. He took his other hand to hold hers and give her some kind of an anchor to keep her grounded. It hurt to move that hand since it was still bandaged and healing from the burn her armor gave him, but he held tightly onto her despite the pain. He patiently waited until she next spoke.

 _"You saved me…"_ her voice trembled. "You pulled me from the burning room where my father was… you threw me through the barricade. You…" She closed her eyes, swallowing down the thickness in her throat. "I thought you had _died_ protecting me…"

"You remember…" his blue gaze softened, his mouth turned into a sad smile. "I wasn't sure if you survived either… that is, until I figured out who you were. But all these years I _hoped_ … I hoped so strongly that you survived…"

"I'm so sorry, Pike…" She knew he would probably reprimand her for apologizing again, but she continued. "You're not supposed to forget the face of the person who was your last hope. You must have thought I was a jerk until I told you I had amnesia…"

He laughed and she was slightly started by the sound. It was cut short as he winced in pain, momentarily forgetting about the cuts across his torso. "I was just a servant at the castle. I wasn't expecting you to remember me even if you had your memory." He frowned, returning his eyes to the bite mark upon her wrist, his thumb idly stroking her hand.

"Pike… of _course_ I would remember." Her brows lowered in concern and she appeared almost angry, her eyes hurt. "You're not _just a servant._ You're not _just a slave._ You are so much more than what _you were_. You were apparently someone _important_ to me if you _know me by Katya._ "

His eyes were wide, his ears perked forward. "How… _how much_ do you remember?"

"I don't. Korhan told me how you were born into slavery, and you called me Katya as you were dying. _So you tell me_."

][ [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4tVtiNkpp8) ][

Pike felt like she had given him an ultimatum, his throat suddenly feeling tight. "We… I don't know." He looked ashamed, his ears flattening as his eyes fell back to her injury. "I wouldn't call us _friends_ … because how could we be, when you were - _are -_ a princess, and I'm… I'm no one of importance. I was apparently the first person you confided in about being dragonborn and from that point on you sometimes found me and we would talk and one day you insisted I called you Katya because I kept calling you 'your Highness' and you didn't like it. We were just…" The words felt heavy in his lungs and he couldn't tell if it was from his wounds or from his melancholy. "We were acquaintances... I wasn't expecting you to remember me."

Meklavar was silent a moment, then released a heavy sigh. She was determined to get it through Pike's thick skull one of these days that he was _important_ , but from what Korhan had told her it sounded like it would take time for him to understand his self-worth. The thought burdened her heart and she squeezed his hand with her own, ignoring the pain it caused her wrist.

"Well… I remember now that you saved me. And I will remember it for as long as I live," she promised. She opened her mouth, about to say something more but only a startled noise escaped. Pike had started licking the wound upon her wrist. "W-what are you doing???"

Pike stopped mid-lick, his eyes darting up to her. He made what sounded like an exclamation but with his tongue still sticking out it just came out as a muffled whine. He pulled back, his face reddening and his markings burning bright red near his cheeks. "Uhh… sorry, I guess I should have warned you. Khaliit saliva has healing properties, so I was…. Uhh… just trying to amend my mistake."

She looked like he had just told her the world was flat. "It - wh- _really?!_ "

He pursed his lips into a thin line. "Y-yeah… d-do you want me to keep… going…? Or would you rather…" His face tensed up, his eyes narrowing as he tried to think of how to word it. "… _suffer_ …?"

She laughed. "When you word it like _that_ …" She offered him an encouraging smile. "You can continue, I won't think it's weird. You know, it makes a lot more sense now why some potions have khaliit or khariit spit as an ingredient." She looked down at the stitches upon his skin that poked out from under the blanket, her eyes trailing to the row curving around the arm that held hers. Whatever was in his saliva was causing her wrist to no longer sting. Even for a dragonborn, it was unnatural to have the pain fade that quickly. She watched him work with an odd fascination. "How are you holding up? You had lost a lot of blood…"

He gave her a few more licks before releasing her arm and attempting to fully sit up with several winces. He lifted his tail out from under him, eliciting several cracks from the appendage that caused him to make a sound of pleasure while making a face that looked like he had just been stabbed. "Man, that is why I _never_ sleep on my back." He leaned up against the headboard, his chest moving slowly as be breathed deeply.

Meklavar made a face. "Sorry… you kind of had to with your injuries though… I know I'm going to be sleeping on my right side for the next few days." She frowned. "Perhaps I should sleep on the floor."

"What?" He looked too exhausted to understand, his eyes already threatening to fall back into slumber.

"You sleep like a cat, Pike. If you move into your usual sleeping position, not only will it hurt my side wound, but also the wounds across your front. It'd be better if we didn't share a bed."

"I don't sleep like a cat!!" He pouted, his ears slightly rotated back. "And if anything, it'll be _me_ sleeping on the floor, not you!"

"I'll be fine - your wounds are more serious than mine."

"It seems wrong to have you sleep on the floor."

"Is that because I'm royalty or because I'm a girl?"

Pike bit his lower lip, his tail flicking. "I… don't know how to answer that question." Suddenly his ears perked forward and his face lit up. "Ah! I just remembered - we survived!"

Meklavar raised an eyebrow. "… _yeah??_ " Perhaps Pike had finally lost it.

"You told me to remind you to thank me if we lived through all that," he explained. "So I'm reminding you to thank me." He offered a sheepish grin, his tail curled up expectantly.

"You _barely_ lived through it," she huffed, her eyes narrowing. "I could have handled it, Pike."

"You can survive fire, Mek, not claws."

"Neither can you, moron!"

He let out a weak laugh, his cool eyes a mix between sorrow and endearment. "Better to lose me than you."

Meklavar was overwhelmed with the need to thank him, but ' _thank you'_ simply wasn't going to cut it. What was she supposed to say to someone who saved her life twice, and almost died for her both times? How was she supposed to convey that she appreciated his self-sacrificing nature as a _friend_ she _trusted_ instead of him brushing it off as the expected duty of a servant of royalty? Even if her title and destiny as dragonborn were stripped from her, she was certain Pike would still believe himself to be below her, and it caused an anger to blossom in her chest.

She wanted to argue with him but she was too tired and she still didn’t know how to properly thank him. In her jumbled mess of emotions tangling up inside like a mess of yarn, she did nothing but sit there and silently cry. It wasn't until Pike's hand was on her shoulder did she realize the tears that cascaded down her cheeks and she looked up to meet his concerned gaze.

"It's _okay_ , Katya." She wasn't sure if he said that in regards to her thanking him or how he thought it was better if he died instead of her. "We're alive. We're _both_ alive. We're going to be okay."

She stared at him a moment longer as she willed herself to believe in his words, and nodded softly. She patted his hand absent mindedly before standing up and heading numbly towards the kitchen. She figured now was a better time than any to make some food, both to keep her distracted and to provide Pike some sustenance since he was finally awake. She wiped at her eyes with the heel of her hand, crouched by the cauldron, and worked on igniting the fire crystals beneath it. Keeping her hands busy was always her preferred choice of distraction - the more meticulous the work the better. She knocked the bright orange and yellow crystals together until they started sizzling like hot coals. She slowly stood up, wincing slightly as her hand ghosted the wound on her side, and when she turned around she gasped sharply in fright.

][ [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n88MReEC27k) ][

Pike was _standing,_ out of _bed_ , and leaning up against the wall at the entrance of the kitchen. His ears were droopy and he was practically clinging to the wall with an exasperated face. He was in nothing but his underwear and the bandages he wore around his shins, and even though Meklavar had already seen him this exposed before the lighting was dim last time.

 _"What are you doing??"_ She felt like a mother scolding her child to get back in bed.

"You just…" Pike gave her a half-hearted hand gesture as he tried to think of the words. "You were crying and you left without any explanation. Naturally, I was worried."

She sighed and limped over to his side. While her leg barely hurt anymore thanks to Korhan's enhanced splint, her knee still had some adjusting to do. She wrapped an arm around Pike's midsection, careful not to harm his stitches, and helped him over to sit at the small dining table flooded with morning light. While the Castle of Lions looked like a tent from the outside, somehow the enchantments gave the interior fully structured windows that viewed the outside and let in light. The magic and wonder behind Korhan's inventions never ceased to fascinate her.

Once Pike was sitting in the chair, Meklavar held out both her hands. "Stay right there," she said as if instructing a child, and she hobbled off towards the bed where she grabbed a blanket and pillow for him, but when she returned to the kitchen he had already sprawled himself over the table top, soaking in the morning sunlight. His eyes were closed with a pleased smile on his face, the tip of his tail flicking contently.

"You're supposed to be resting, not contorting yourself so your stitches bust open," Meklavar tried to say disgruntledly but she couldn't help smiling at his bizarre yet adorable behavior. At least he was mostly lying on his back, but with the way his hips twisted to the side she was worried it was stretching his skin too much.

"Mmm the sunlight is healing me," he replied languidly, already falling victim to the warmth's inducing sleep.

"Well…" she walked over and at least placed the pillow under his head and draped the blanket over him, "Just be careful with your stitches, alright?"

The only kind of response she got was a trilling purr, so she spun on her heel and went back to work in the kitchen. As odd as it was, Pike distracted her from her distraction meant to get her mind off Pike. As she gathered vegetables from barrels and began dicing and slicing, the occasional happy noise from the khaliit sunbathing made her distraction nothing but futile.

Meklavar actually had no idea what a khaliit's diet looked like. She was subconsciously working on making something akin to a chicken noodle soup but she had no idea if Pike would even enjoy it. As she scoured Korhan's supply of food it appeared the only meat he had canned was rabbit and venison. Considering the fact she knew Pike enjoyed rat, she figured rabbit was the better choice of the two.

"Hey Pike… there's not anything you're allergic to, is there?" she asked as she cubed the meat and scraped them into the cauldron.

"Mmm, peaches," he answered lazily, and although she already knew the answer Meklavar couldn't help the short-lived snicker as she remembered the story Korhan told two nights ago.

"Anything that you simply don't like?"

"Don't like cucumbers. I can't digest onions or leeks… otherwise I like some vegetables, but most of em I'm indifferent."

"What about herbs?"

"Rosemary, garlic, and lemongrass are nice. Mmm, chamomile and dandelion root are good too."

Meklavar let out a soft giggle. "What about catnip?"

"Shuuut up," Pike said half-heartedly with a weak laugh.

"… _do_ you actually like catnip? I'm genuinely curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat," he piped, "and your curiosity will be the death of me."

"You know, it doesn't help to get upset over cat jabs when you turn around and make them against yourself," she laughed, quickly stopping and clutching her side when it began to hurt.

He lifted a hand to make a dismissive gesture. "Had ta take on self-deprecating humor at some point." He let out a soft growling sound but it didn't sound agitated at all. "To answer your question, yeah, I do enjoy catnip."

"As much as cats? Do you get all sluggish like you are now or do you get hyperactive from it?"

"Eh… depends."

Meklavar felt a smile creep on her lips as she imagined how Pike would act under the influence of the infamous cat drug. She slid the last of the chopped herbs into the cauldron of soup and took the long spoon off her workstation to stir the broth. "This will be ready in a few minutes." She took a smaller spoon and scooped a sample of it and brought it over to Pike. "Here, tell me if it's to your liking."

The sudden scent shoved in his face caused his eyes to open to see the hovering spoon. He lifted his head to slurp up its contents, his ears swiveling back before his face turned into disgust. After he swallowed he made a horrific sound. " _What'd you put in it?!?"_

"What! It's bad??" She sounded more disappointed than angry, rushing back to the pot to scoop up her own sample into her mouth. She was still a moment before her shoulders fell in defeat. "It _is_ horrible. How can I mess up on _soup??_ It's just broth and ingredients!!"

"Add parsley and a lot of sage if there is any, and a few more cups of broth or water. And let it cook a while longer."

Luckily Korhan had all kinds of herbs stocked in his kitchen, so she eventually found the jars labeled 'sage' and 'parsley' and chopped the herbs up into the soup. She was out of broth so she added a few more cups of water as Pike suggested. She let the cauldron stew a while longer, then brought over a second attempt of a sample for him to try.

"Thank the stars, it's edible now," he said with a relieved and somewhat dramatic sigh.

"Sorry I've… well, never really cooked, as you know. I'm surprised you knew what to add! You didn't even know what was in the soup to begin with."

"Meklavar, I can _smell_ ," he reminded her, closing his eyes once more as he returned to his sunbathing. "Bone broth, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, celery powder, about three rabbits? And garlic. Besides, I worked in a kitchen my whole life. I know a thing or two about cooking."

"Well fine, your nose saved breakfast." She bopped her finger on the brown diamond on his nose, eliciting a scrunch from his face. She opened cupboards until she found the one that held dishes and grabbed two bowls. "You're going to have to sit up from your catnap in order to eat, I'm afraid." She tried to scoop as much meat as she could into his bowl.

Pike let out a moan of protest but slowly sat up anyway, staying on top of the table with the blanket wrapped around him like a cape. He took the bowl of soup Meklavar offered to him with a pleasured hum, but her hands lingered on the porcelain while his long fingers wrapped around the backs of her palms. She was dumbstruck for a moment with how _beautiful_ he was in the sun, its rays making his warm skin glow and igniting his eyes into a frosted blue, his pupils contracted into thin slits from the abundance of light. She had never noticed before that there were hints of red in his messy brown hair, which made sense with the coloring of his stripes.

"Mek? Mek." He looked down at their hands and back up to her.

She shook her head, nervously withdrawing from the bowl. "Ah, sorry. I was… spacing."

"So long as you don't space out and recall tragic memories," he said before lifting a spoonful of soup into his mouth. She hastily sat down in the chair next to him, indulging in her own bowl which sat near his crisscrossed feet. He looked down at her and watched her eat, the corner of his mouth frowning pensively. Her hair was messy and he could tell she had slept on her right side, but somehow her short honey hair still looked _pretty._ Her light green markings were barely visible on her pale skin, the bridge of her nose dusted with small freckles. Her eyes which were normally a light brown, almost amber hue were brightened to a liquid gold in the sunlight.

"Pike?" Her head turned over her shoulder to look at his tail which had now curled itself around her back. "You feeling cuddly or something?"

He let out a small squeak before promptly lashing his tail over to the other side of his body. "Ah, s-sorry. Blame the sunlight." He brought the whole bowl up to his face to drink the broth, effectively hiding his blushing face. Meklavar could still see the embarrassment in his swiveled ears, however. When he lowered the bowl, he asked, "How's your wrist?"

She almost forgot about the bite mark on her arm and had to look at it to answer his question. "It seems fine." She frowned. "Thanks to your magical spit."

The sound of boots entering in the hallway announced Korhan's return from gathering herbs to make more healing salve. When he entered the hallway his energy was practically palatable. "Ah Pike, good to see you awake! And… on the table." He let out a small giggle before turning to Meklavar. "Was he feeling well enough to cook?? Or is that _your_ doing??"

"Surprisingly enough, it was her doing." Pike cut in. "I haven't seen you in _years_ , Korhan! You haven't changed a bit. How've you been?"

"Oh you know, tinkering on this, inventing that. The usual." He shrugged. "Last I saw you, you were about a foot shorter." He chuckled, grabbing himself a bowl from the cupboard and helping himself to some of the soup. After he tried a spoon full he let out a thoughtful hum. "This isn't half bad, princess, compared to your cooking I've had in the past."

"Pike saved it," she sighed. "Otherwise it was much _much_ worse." She let out a sad groan. "Sometimes I really miss castle food… or should I say your mother's cooking, Pike."

"I miss my mother's cooking too," Pike said, only realizing after the fact how sad his words sounded.

"I miss Sapphira's cooking too," Korhan added. "She made _the_ best peach cobbler."

All three of them sighed nostalgically, Pike and Meklavar simultaneously replying: "We know."

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

After breakfast, Korhan immediately got to work on making more of the magical salve while Meklavar cleaned up the kitchen after helping Pike back into bed (despite his protests of wanting to stay in the sun). She could have sworn his eyes were glossy before he rolled over onto his side, and the image was stuck in her head as she tried to scrub the kitchen counter. She figured it had to be the mention of his mother.

"Hey, Korhan?" she started quietly so Pike wouldn't hear. "Pike said his family was enslaved… do you know where they are?"

His mustache twitched as he pursed his lips in thought, stirring the ingredients in the cauldron. "I'm not sure, princess. I wasn't there on the night of the Invasion, but from what I've heard from Alfor it sounds like a lot of the castle staff were either killed or taken prisoner. Lotor or Honerva must have them doing something…"

"Honerva?" Meklavar turned her head over her shoulder with furrowed brows. "I've never heard that name before…"

"You haven't?" He let out a troubled hum. "I'm fairly confident she's the one behind _everything._ "

"She is? Not Lotor? But he's dragonborn, he's the one controlling Zarkon." Her head felt dizzy as Korhan figuratively pulled the rug out beneath her feet.

"No… there's something sinister about Honerva." The way the elder elf said it sent chills up her spine, as if there was something worse to come to pass than the Invasion. "She delves in dark magic of both kinds. She's one of the rare few elves who can wield both mana and chakra. I'm fairly certain everything Lotor has done has been because of _her_."

"How… how do you know all of this?"

"Because I saw them. About a year ago, I was in my Castle of Lions and they passed right by. I was undetected because of the cloaking, thank goodness, but I heard an interesting conversation between the two of them. Immediately after that I placed the tracking device at Korvanjund because I was concerned Lotor would try to resurrect Ulaz."

"But it was me instead…"

"Which was a pleasant surprise, albeit a distressing one when I found you and Pike in the condition you were in." His eyes looked troubled as he paused for a moment, staring at the vibrant green alchemic potion brewing in the pot. "They spoke of _quintessence_ … something I've only heard in the most ancient texts…"

Meklavar felt her heart thrash inside her chest. "Quintessence? What… what do you think they're trying to accomplish, Korhan?"

"I'm uncertain, but this I do know," he said darkly, "If they're successful… the world as we know it will never be the same."

 


	13. Converging and Diverting

"It's been _days_ and we still haven't seen or heard from Meklavar or Pike." Block said when he brought over a tray filled with various meals to their table in the busy tavern.

"They'll know to meet here," Valayun piped hopefully as she grabbed her bowl of soup with an excited grin. "It's the largest tavern and it's in the center of town. It's the most logical place to meet." She shrugged. "Meklavar's short, and Pike's arm was still injured, so maybe they're just taking a while longer to get here."

"Being short doesn't make you _that_ much slower at walking." Thunder deadpanned.

"If they're not here within the next day," Jiro started, "then we'll leave a message with the innkeeper and head north."

"Just one more day?" Block looked at the paladin with concern. "What if they're in trouble? What if the dragon caught up to them? Shouldn't we go looking for them?"

"Shiro doesn't have much time left, it is imperative that I find the sorcerer." His expression was stern. "Whether you choose to accompany me or not is up to your discretion."

"I will come with you," Thunder offered, his gaze hard. "I at least owe Shiro that much."

"I... feel more inclined to stay," Valayun said. "For all we know, Pike or Meklavar could desperately need a healer. If they aren't here by tomorrow evening I will try looking for them."

"I'm with Valayun," Block said. "But if you leave something of yours with us I can use a tracking spell to meet back up with you guys."

Thunder nodded, taking the ring off his index finger and placing it in Block's upturned palm. "Don't lose it, it's important to me."

"I can take something less valuable-"

"No, the stronger the sentiment the stronger the spell. It'll help you find us with greater ease."

"Okay," Block held onto the ring tight before placing it carefully in one of his pockets. "I'll keep it secret, keep it safe."

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

It took Pike nearly three days to heal enough that they could start traveling again. Thanks to Korhan's healing salve and various ingredients, Pike's recovery was swift. Meklavar realized Korhan's claim that khaliit were a resilient species held true - the only other species she had seen (aside from herself as dragonborn) with such strength and adaptability were galra.

"Princess, we need to get you a change of clothes! Your previous outfit was completely destroyed aside from the armor…" Korhan distressed. "Unfortunately I have nothing worthy of a princess!!"

"Korhan, we're traveling to Darmuth and finding a sorcerer. It's not like I need to wear a ballgown," Meklavar said impassively. "Besides, I'm trying to keep my identity secret, remember?"

"Well that doesn't mean you can't still do it in _style!_ " Korhan sounded offended. "I got the blood out of Pike's scarf and his pants were salvageable but I'm afraid everything else was too far rent from the dragon's claws. Luckily we're a similar height and build…" He rummaged through a closet, flinging the occasional item of clothing behind him.

Pike glanced over at Meklavar with a dubious expression. He was currently shirtless, his freshly removed stitches leaving ragged scars almost as dark as the crimson markings along his back. "Well, at least I don't need pants, otherwise I'd have to tailor them, and that's always a pain."

"Tailor them, or _tail_ -or them?" She snickered.

"Hey, this is no laughing matter! Do you have any idea how much I chafe down there unless there's a proper hole for my tail?" Pike sighed. "And Aurita doesn't have a large enough population of khaliit to have pants for us readily available."

She frowned as the wheels in her head began to turn. "Huh. I never thought about something like that. I wonder how I would go about making something that's low in demand but at the same time essential for those who need it more available to the populace…"

"I mean, most tailors are willing to alter pants for khaliit, khariit, and argonians, but whew, do they charge a mighty fee… it's easier if I just do it myself." He shrugged.

"Perhaps just a simple regulation that all alterations should be charged as the same price to avoid discrimination…" She held a hand to her lips as she thought. "Or even that such alterations should be free if they don't provide necessary clothing for a certain species' specifications…" She pointed up to his head. "Hoods too, you'd need them altered for your ears."

"Some galra have similar specifications, orcs need three-fingered gloves, you and dwarves need shorter tailored clothes, and I don't even know what centaurs do for clothing and armor for their lower half."

She swatted his head for the jab towards her height. "I'm pretty certain all the centaurs live in Namithir which is not my division. Well, at least... _wasn't_ my division. But, it's still interesting to consider."

"Look at you two," Korhan beamed, "Talking about demographics and politics!" He tossed a shirt at Pike's face, causing his ears to swivel back with a grunt. "Now put on this tight shirt and let's get out there!"

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

"How do you know Shiro?" Jiro asked as he, Thunder, and Rover made their way through the crowded streets of Darmuth. It would take them almost half the day just to get out of the city, but Jiro was confident the sorcerer's home would only take them a day or two's journey north. 

The ranger was quiet a moment, guarded as always, but decided that the twin brother of Shiro was someone he could probably trust. "Shiro found me after I was exiled from my village. I was only eleven when it happened, but he showed me how to survive. He gave me reason to hope."

"You were exiled? Why?"

"I'm originally from Namithir. And apparently my mother had to have been galran, since my markings started to show once I reached adolescence. The village must have assumed my mother was human since I didn't have any elvish markings but I still looked like all of them." He clearly remembered the day it happened and how some simple purple stripes on his face could cause so much hatred to seep from the hearts of people who he thought were kind and charitable. The true faces of people were hidden deep beneath acceptable facades and Thunder learned that the true intentions of most people were ugly and selfish.

"What about your father?"

"He died when I was five. I have no idea if my mother is alive or dead from what little I could get out of him. But regardless…" He let out a sigh. "I've lived on my own for most of my life." Rover let out a small whine which caused him to gently pet the giant wolf's head. "Well, until I met this guy."

"Hmm… you must have met Shiro when he was traveling to Henat. Did you end up accompanying him there?"

"Yeah… we parted ways when we reached Staerene. But I saw him again many years later, right before the Invasion."

"Huh… and… he never mentioned me?" Jiro almost sounded wounded.

Thunder frowned, uncertain how to address the paladin's hurt. "He never really talked about himself… never about his family, his interests, or personal concerns. It was always about the mission or about helping others."

"I suppose that's just a testament of D'Jahno's training and the seven pillars of knighthood." Jiro paused, his brows lowering in skepticism. "That's _hilarious_ you would say he never talked about himself, because he'd never shut up about his 'bright internal light' and how _he_ was chosen to be a paladin. It's all just because he can use chakra and I can't."

Thunder offered an encouraging smile. "I guess identical twins aren't quite so identical after all. But hey, you're still a paladin, so there's that."

"You're _right_ … and there's nothing more fulfilling than being a paladin."

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

"So how does this Castle of Lions thing work??" Pike asked as they headed towards Darmuth on foot, having left the giant tent behind.

"Oh it's super fascinating!" Meklavar started, "It's through a locator spell combined with a warp enchantment if I remember correctly. Korhan can explain it better though."

"So this bracelet here," Korhan held up his wrist and pulled back his sleeve for Pike to see the white band with a cyan colored spell etched into its face, "Works as a locator for the Castle. I can always find the Castle so long as I have this, so it works like a tracking spell. With the bracelet, I can also summon the Castle to wherever I am."

"Wait, so you can teleport the Castle right here if you wanted to??" Pike looked like Korhan just told him he could resurrect the dead. "Even though it's half a mile back that way? And it's _huge?_ "

"Well, relatively speaking, the Castle is quite small. But yes - it takes a couple of doboshes to work, however, and it takes longer the greater the distance."

"But doesn't that mean that anyone could stumble across the Castle and take your stuff?"

"I don't leave my front door unlocked, Pike. And before you say _'there are no doors that cannot be unlocked'_   I'll have you know, I have plenty of protective enchantments that keep the Castle hidden from thieving eyes such as yours."

"I'm not a-" 

"Besides, the bracelet would alert me if anyone entered. I can always warp the Castle here if that happens because it only transports inanimate objects. Any persons inside would just remain at that location."

"Huh. Neat. I guess we don't have to stress anymore about finding shelter at night."

"Which is good considering Valayun still has our share of the loot," Meklavar added.

"Oh? You're traveling with Valayun?" Korhan asked. "Alfor's daughter?"

"The one and the same." She let out a sigh. "She seemed to recognize me as well, but I don't… I don't remember her at all. Or Alfor. But the name Altair sounds like I should know it."

"As you should - Alfor was the royal Chancellor, arguably the most important person in the kingdom after your father."

" _I_ remember him," Pike offered. "He looks just like Valayun except his markings are light blue. Well, I guess it's Valayun who looks like him. Anyway - he wore armor very similar to Shiro's- I mean Jiro's… well, both of them, really."

"That's great, Pike, but I _still_ don't remember him." Meklavar let out what sounded like a growl. "I think I need to just accept the fact I'm never getting those memories back and move on."

"Hey!" Pike spun in front of her, forcing her to stop. "You remembered the night of the Invasion, or at least part of it, just from me _talking_ to you! We are _not_ giving up on your memories!!"

"My memories are nothing but pain and suffering. I don't exactly care to relive all that."

"I know you have good memories mixed in with the bad. Don't you want to remember your family?"

"My entire family is _dead_ , Pike. I think it'd be easier _not_ to remember them."

"Mek…" He put a hand on her shoulder and saw she was on the verge of tears but she was being so strong despite the turmoil of emotions and confusion that raged inside her. Pike's voice was soft, his eyes pained in understanding. "I don't know anything about my father because he died when I was too young to remember. I would kill to have any kind of good memory of him. Your family would want you to remember them, even if it is painful. It will probably be incredibly painful but it'll be worth it. I know your memories are important to you despite what you're thinking now and I know they're important to everyone who was a part of them, including me."

"I'm sorry about your father… and…" Her eyebrows lowered and her voice shook ever so slightly. "My memories are important to _you?_   But you said we were just acquaintances."

"Well…" His markings started to turn a bright red but his eyes were sincere. He lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck. "I figured I was just an acquaintance to you… but to me? …You were kind of my only friend."

She blinked a few times, completely baffled. "I… was?"

"Most my childhood I was a slave and even though living in the castle as a servant was phenomenally better it's not like there was anyone my age to interact with. Aside from you, that is. But even that was limited. But outside of my family? You're the only one I could really call a friend." He jabbed his thumb behind him to the elder elf. "Korhan comes close. But he's more like an uncle. Same with Olia I guess, but she's more like an aunt. And her kids were much too young to befriend me. All they would do is chase my tail anyways." He sighed. "Khariit pups are a nuisance."

Korhan giggled. "I remember when _that_ happened. They chased you and your sisters throughout the whole castle." 

Pike groaned. "Uhhhgh it was awful. My legs were sore for _weeks_."

Meklavar gave him a wicked grin before continuing their walk towards the city. "So it was your classic game of dog-chase-cat?"

Pike stood there and pouted a moment as the two elves lengthened the distance from him. "Not a cat," he growled before running up to them and slowing to their pace. His ear rotated when he heard Meklavar whisper something that only he would be able to hear, her amber hues glancing up to him.

_"Thank you, Pike."_

He offered her a quiet hum.

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

" _Oh quiznack,"_ Valayun swore as she rummaged through her satchel.

Block raised an eyebrow at her. "Quiznack?"

"I should have given Jiro and Thunder some of our loot!" She threw her head back in a frustrated groan. "I'm a horrible treasurer."

"I don't think there are any towns between here and the sorcerer's place for them to even _spend_ money in, so I think they'll be fine. I do wonder though how Pike and Meklavar are holding up."

"Oh Pike's a _thief_. I'm certain that if they needed money he'd figure out a way to acquire some."

"Probably." Block frowned. "But then again he said he wasn't a thief."

"He probably just said that to throw off your guard. What kind of thief proudly announces they're such?"

"I dunno, a good one?"

"Exactly," she said decisively as if that explained everything. "We have to make it a priority then to make sure we meet back up with both Pike and Meklavar _and_ Jiro and Thunder, that way we can at least divide up the loot between us if we do part ways again. I am hoping, however, that we stick together. I think we make a great team." She lowered her gaze, her expression nostalgic. "I'd always dreamed of being part of a spectacular group of people, out there fighting the good fight, helping people in need…"

"It is nice to travel with others," Block agreed. "I'm grateful I ran into Meklavar and that she decided to help me, otherwise I don't think I'd ever get past the Wiebian Swamps. Although… it's weird to think she's actually-"

Valayun quickly grabbed the sorcerer's shoulder, giving him a warning look.

"Right. Secrecy." Although the market street was loud with bustling people, there was no knowing what prying ears were listening in to their conversation. "But I think it'd be pretty amazing to help her with her 'quest,' if you know what I mean."

"It would be a noble quest indeed," she concurred, looking around at the various stands and booths selling a wide variety of necessities and luxuries. "I would love to continue what my father has started."

"What your father started?"

"I'll tell everyone all about it as soon as we regroup. And we can discuss Meklavar's 'quest' in greater detail as well." She let out a small exclamation once her eyes found what she was looking for, her face lighting up. "As for right now? I'm going to purchase some lovely arrows."

 

 

][ --- ][

 

][ [music](https://youtu.be/PWM54LRIstI) ][

 

The city of Darmuth was visible enough that Pike could see the details of the architecture. The city walls had impressive archways and all the rooftops of the numerous tall buildings were a distinct red. As they drew nearer, Pike's brows lowered and his ears perked forward, straining to make out anything amongst the myriad of noises coming from the town.

Meklavar noticed his change in behavior and tried to look where he was looking but his eyes were darting around too much. "What is it?"

"I'm… hearing something within the city walls. It sounds like screaming." He looked over at her and then Korhan. "And I think I got a whiff of smoke, but it's hard to tell from this distance."

"Perhaps we should enter the city from the western gate?" Korhan asked.

"I dunno… by the time we get on that side of the city whatever's going on inside might have migrated over there anyways." They all started when an explosion sounded from the heart of Darmuth, arcs of purple lightning trailing up above the rooftops. "Whatever's going on inside looks serious." He summoned his lance, the ring on his index finger transforming into the weapon he twirled in his hand. "Our teammates could be in danger."

Meklavar stared at the lance before looking up at him. "Are you sure you're healed enough to _fight?_ It was almost impossible to get you out of bed this morning."

"I'll be fine, that's what my chakra is for," he said dismissively. He didn't actually know how many spells he would be able to cast in his current state but he didn't like the idea of Meklavar fighting without him there to ensure no harm came to her. He knew she was plenty capable and stronger than him in more ways than one, but at some point along their travels, he developed an almost instinctual need to protect her. He wasn't sure if it was his servant sense of duty to her or loyalty from their small but meaningful affinity that urged him to vigilant behavior. He reckoned the seeds of safeguarding were planted as soon as she confided in him her secret of being dragonborn and now the roots were firmly weaved deep within his heart.

"Whatever lies ahead, princess," Korhan started as he unsheathed his rapier, "Know that I shall have your back."

"And I…" Pike made a face. "Your side, I guess."

Meklavar took a deep breath as she looked to both of her comrades and then to the danger that lied ahead. "I wouldn't have it any other way. And no formalities, Korhan."

"Yes prin- ahem. _Meklavar."_

When they reached the city gates the chaos they were greeted with was worse than they could have imagined. Pike tried to make sense of all the sounds and smells that bombarded his senses but there was too much mayhem to understand the situation entirely. Townspeople ran in fear screaming, others brandished weapons of every variety from swords to frying pans, elvish and galran soldiers under the Empire were attacking with all forms of steel and magic, rebel forces fought against the Empire, city guards were running around shouting orders and helping townspeople while also fighting whoever, and another organization that wore facial masks adorned with the design of a maw full of fangs were included in the fray.

"The Fangtides are here, as well as the Empire," Pike hissed.

"Fangtides?" Meklavar asked.

"Rival assassin group." He started to fight an Empire galran and soon enough Meklavar and Korhan had their hands busy with their own oppressors.

" _Rival?_ Does that mean you're part of an organization?" Meklavar shouted over her shoulder while she swung her axe at an elf.

"Of course I'm part of an organization!" One of the Fangtides was headed towards Meklavar but Pike whipped out his lance in time to cut him off. He narrowly dodged a knife to his throat with a pained grunt. His barely healed wounds were already slowing him down and he feared he would only become a burden to his teammates at this rate. He reared back his weapon and released a blast of lightning through the thrust of his lance, creating a clean line that caused a dozen to collapse to the ground. His eyes found a path for them as a wild idea passed his mind.

"Guys, follow me!" He grabbed Meklavar's arm for good measure before he dashed down the street and into an alleyway, Korhan following closely behind as he parried off some attackers. Pike began jumping and climbing his way up towards the rooftops, turning around to help Meklavar up at the parts where it was too difficult.

"Pike, you know we can't jump like-"

"I know, shut up and I'll remind you to thank me if we live through this." He held down the butt of his lance for her to grab and pulled her up to the next ledge, doing the same for Korhan. With some strained effort, the three of them made it up to the brick red rooftops of the city and overlooked the madness that spread throughout the streets like a flood. "There was no way we would have gotten through those homicidal crowds. Up here we can find our teammates faster." He started running across the rooftops and the two elves followed behind him, looking down into the streets as they passed.

"Oh that's not good," Korhan said somberly as they neared the city's center.

"That's druid magic, right?" Pike asked, staring at the vibrant purple arcs of lightning with dread.

"The one and the same."

"Wait, we have the Empire, rebels, an assassin organization _, and_ the Druids here?!" Meklavar asked.

"Seems like it," Pike said somberly.

" _What_ exactly is going on??"

"Valayun!"

"What?"

" _Valayun!"_ Pike stopped, causing the others to halt as well as he pointed to the archer. "I don't see anyone else nearby, but let's regroup with her."

"How about you get her and bring her back up to the rooftops?" Meklavar suggested. "Korhan and I are safer up here and we'll find everyone else faster this way. You're the one who can get up and down with ease."

Pike wanted to argue that he didn't want to leave her side but she had a point and her plan was logical. "Alright," he answered hesitantly. "You can yell directions to me, I'll try to tune in to your voice over the madness down there."

She nodded. "We'll start to head closer to the center of town."

He took a deep inhale before departing, leaping down to ledges and other precarious lips of architecture until he landed on the ground and ran towards Valayun, slashing at anyone who tried to intervene.

Her brows rose when she saw him. "Pike!"

"Where are the others? Meklavar's on the rooftops with Korhan, we're regrouping there." He took her arm and started towards an alleyway where there were less people.

"Korhan?" Valayun shook her head, realizing now was not the time. "Thunder and Jiro split from us this morning but I saw Jiro only a moment ago. I'm afraid I've lost Block entirely."

"It's alright, follow me." He took the lead climbing up to the roof, giving her a hand when necessary. When they reached the top he looked out at the crowds below for the sorcerer donned in gold and green and the paladin in his armor that reminded him of Alfor's. Sure enough, Jiro wasn't far from where he found Valayun. "I'm going to get Jiro, keep an eye out for Block and Thunder on your way to Meklavar and Korhan."

"I'll try to offer aerial support if you need it," she offered, notching an arrow at the ready.

Pike gave her a nod before running across rooftops until he was closer to the paladin. He made his way down into the masses, striking blows with his lance as he fought his way through. When he called out the paladin's name he turned his head towards him, finishing off the fight with his opponent before striding over. "Jiro, we're regrouping on the roof and we can leave as soon as we find Block and Thunder. Do you know where they are?"

"Leave? We can't leave these people in their time of need!"

"Jiro, I know you mean well," he began but he was cut off with a yelp as an assassin tackled him to the ground. He wrestled with her for a brief moment before an arrow suddenly lodged through her throat. His widened eyes followed the angle of the fletching to see Valayun on a nearby rooftop. "I know you mean well," he continued as he stood up, "but we can't handle these odds. If we stay some of us will die, or worse."

"What's worse than dying?"

"Oh I'm sure you can use your imagination." Pike rolled his eyes before leading the paladin back up to the rooftops and meeting up with the rest of the group. They spread around looking for their sorcerer and ranger, heading closer to the center of the city where the worst of the fight raged, and Pike's heart skipped a beat when he found both of them cornered in an alleyway by a druid. Block was fighting them off the best he could since Thunder's blades were not nearly as effective against magic.

Pike moved quickly, traveling from rooftop to rooftop with ease and jumping his way down to land behind the druid cornering his teammates. He transformed his lance back into the silver band around his index finger and instead made a couple hand signs to summon several magical chains from the ground. They snaked around the druid and arced back into the cobblestone, pinning them down. Thunder rushed forward and swiftly took care of the enemy with one of his blades before they could get back up.

"You're alive," Thunder greeted dully.

"Barely."

"Watch out!" Block shouted before casting a shielding spell that blocked an oncoming attack with a loud clash. Pike's eyes widened when he saw what nearly hit them - a druid's hands were held up, controlling two halves of brightly glowing purple cuffs. He felt his heart fall into his stomach, his muscles tensing into near paralysis when he understood the situation.

Pike barely broke out of his trance in time to cast his own barrier spell that surrounded him and Thunder in pillars of red light before the druid struck again. Block was too far away fighting another druid for Pike to include him in the protective spell. With each blast the barrier weakened, the red light slowly fading from its vibrancy.

"They're surrounding us," Thunder warned from Pike's backside, observing the two additional druids who approached and summoned their own sets of ominously vibrant collars. "Can you teleport us out of here?"  
  
"Afraid not," Pike admitted with a terse sigh. "I'm low on chakra - I could probably teleport myself but taking someone else takes a lot of out me. Where's Rover?? Can't he come and grab us?"

"He was badly injured in the fight," he uttered. "I… don't know if he's okay."

" _Cheese…_ " They were running out of options and his protective spell was wearing down fast. "You ready to fight the old fashioned way?"

"It's the only way I know, idiot."

"Oh, right." Pike summoned his lance again before the barrier dissipated, leaving the two of them vulnerable to the druid's attacks. Both of them lunged into the fight, blades fighting against the onslaught of cuffs curving relentlessly towards their necks.

Suddenly he heard Meklavar screaming his name from the rooftops.

And then pain was thrust against the left side of his neck, knocking him to the ground.

Pike hit the cobblestone with a gasp as the magic wrapped and sealed around his neck. He tried to pull himself up to his feet but the collar drained what little energy he had left. He could barely hear anything over the ringing in his ears but the nightmare was released from his neck temporarily and he felt like he was gasping for air after breaking the surface of the water he was drowning in.

Thunder was distracted by his comrade's pain and inevitably fell to the same fate. Block kept trying to break the collars but the druids were too many and too persistent. He could no longer help now that two druids were attacking him with elemental spells but the sorcerer continually tried to release the dark magic around his teammates' necks as he fought off his aggressors.

One of the druids conjured a swirling black portal upon the ground as Pike and Thunder struggled against the electrifying surges that left them depleted, gasping and groaning on their hands and knees. In a last attempt before the darkness swallowed them whole, Pike used all his energy to get Block's attention.

"Block!!" When Block's dark brown eyes met his terrified blues, Pike called out his final plea as one of the druids kicked Thunder into the obsidian portal. "Leave us! Please, _protect her!"_

_Do what I can't…_

Block's face fell, the horror of the situation setting his stomach into knots. As the druid's foot met Pike's shoulder, Block offered his friend a pained nod as promise before Pike was kicked into the void and swallowed into oblivion.

"I'm so sorry you guys…"

 

 


	14. Retrace III: Subjugation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **][ CHAPTER WARNINGS ][** This flashback chapter is all about Pike's family during their time in slavery. As to be expected, this chapter has very dark themes including subjugation, violence, abuse, death, and implied/referenced nonconsensual sex. With that in mind, the rating for this chapter is still M.

][ [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9-U6mtlrf4&feature=youtu.be) ][

 

The worst part of it all was that she heard it coming.

And she was powerless to stop it.

In the middle of a warm summer night, Sapphira heard the footsteps of their intruders, the incantations of their spells, the screaming of her children. She heard the frantic beating of their terrified hearts as the nightmare unfolded and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Magic was a powerful thing, especially when it was mana-based used against a race that couldn't wield or even sense mana. They were slaves to the spells long before they were ever shackled and sold. Their resistance was in vain, the magic holding them down or even shocking them when they fought back. She wanted to continue fighting but at some point she lost the energy. It became too painful to struggle and she didn't want to cause further harm to her unborn child. 

The dark carriage ride felt like an eternity with her shaking children huddled around her, her husband's presence close and shielding them from whatever harm would arrive next. When they reached their destination, hands yanked them onto their feet and led them to the last place they would ever truly all be together. 

It was upon a stage, chained and shackled in front of a crowd of people wanting to buy them.

She will never forget the moment her two eldest sons were torn away from her and she was likely to never see them again. As the destruction of her family rent its course, Sapphira could do nothing but watch in frozen horror. She watched numbly as her husband screamed and fought against his chains, his collar shocking him for his retaliation as he crumpled to the ground, her sons sobbing and screaming as they were pulled off the stage. The price paid for her children was a mockery. It caused the blood to boil in her veins and for the numbness to subside as she clenched her fangs.

"The next khaliit is a girl of six years, blue eyes, strength rating four, intelligence six, health eight. Starting wage: 80,000 gold."

_Veronica._ She was priced far higher than her older brothers and Sapphira had to wonder if it was merely because she was a girl or because she inherited her blue eyes - a trait considered "exotic" among their kind. Both considerations made her sick to her stomach, the nausea beginning to rise up in her throat like a snake. Sapphira dreaded how much she would be sold for considering she had blue eyes, red markings,  _and_ both stripes and spots in her markings - three separate rarities in khaliit genetics. Veronica may have had blue eyes but she had common brown stripes like her father. 

The bets were laid, wealthy men and women shouting against their odds and Veronica was sold to a man for 110,000 gold. Before they yanked her away, she looked back to her mother and it was in that moment of locking terrified gazes when Sapphira passed the stage of absolute shock at their predicament and finally broke down in tears.

Her next daughter Rae was sold for hardly 7,000 gold to a different master than Veronica's or their older brothers'. Sapphira figured it was because Rae was only three-years-old and she had common amber eyes and brown stripes, but it still broke her heart that her daughter would forever feel her worth was significantly less. She was old enough to understand numbers. She was old enough to understand that was what the world thought of her: nothing more than cheap labor. 

Sapphira was granted a small shred of hope when her husband was sold for 130,000 to the same master as Veronica.  _At least she can grow up with her father... at least two of my children will have one of their parents with them._ Even if she was torn from her entire family she had the minuscule peace of mind that she couldn't be separated from her unborn son. Lionel and Merik had each other and now Veronica had her father Kahedin. Her heart still ached for Rae, the one who would grow up never knowing any of her family...

"The mother is thirty years old, expecting a boy, blue eyes, exotic markings, strength rating seven, intelligence eight, health nine. Starting wage: 200,000 gold."

Sapphira felt her heart skip a beat. She was not expecting to be worth  _that_ much, so much more than her husband who was far stronger and more capable for slave work... but then she remembered she was  _exotic_  and she was carrying a son who would grow to be like his father and possibly inherit her features.  _Not all slaves are bought for the purpose of manual labor..._  she realized as the room began to spin more violently.

She watched her fate bounce from bidder to bidder, her future lying solely on the measure of wealth and greed. Her joined hands in front of her clenched within her cuffs and she could feel her son kicking restlessly inside her, almost as if he felt just as terrified and uncertain. She unclenched her fits and moved her hands reassuringly over her protruding stomach to try and calm her child. Tears spilled from her face as she thought about her son who would grow up never knowing about the freedoms his siblings had enjoyed, however brief. Her grief overtook her senses to the point that she didn't even notice the bids or hear what her final selling price surmounted to, instead focusing on the tiny heartbeat inside her.

It wasn't until the chains connected to her wrist cuffs yanked her hands forward, did she realize she was being dragged towards the same man who bought her husband and Veronica. She felt a slice of guilt at the joy that blossomed in her chest since she still lost over half her family, but a part of her was relieved with the knowledge that Pike would now have a father, and Veronica a mother. At least she could continue to raise two of her children as much as the constraints of slavery would allow her.

She sobbed for the duration of their ride to their new prison, feeling broken and hollow as she held Veronica close and Kahedin embraced them both within the darkness.

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

][ [music](https://youtu.be/ej5KApCHfUg) ][

 

Harkon Volkihar was a wealthy elf desperate to win the affections of a woman whom his money could never buy. In his numerous vain attempts to court Amara, the servants suffered the brunt of his disappointment. It was easy to place the blame upon the slaves and that it was  _their_ shortcomings which caused the woman to not show any interest in him; if only the fine china was better shined, or his coat more intricately tailored, or the food served at a hotter temperature, then things would have surely gone better by now.

It was easy to take out his frustrations with reprimands and physical violence. It was easy to send an ounce of mana to their collars and give them a wave of excruciating pain. It was easy to remove all his accountability and place such a burden on someone else.

Harkon Volkihar lived an easy life and would never change his ways.

Pike Cimclan lived a life of hardship and never understood the concept of hope.

When Pike accidentally knocked over a crate of fine wine at the age of four, Volkihar in his anger told him a poison that seeped into his bones and became a hardened truth:

_"Once a slave, always a slave. You will never amount to anything more than the animal you are. You were born a slave and you shall die as one."_

And that's what Pike believed.

His father died only a year prior and he was just waiting for the inevitable day when his mother or sister would die as well. Slaves didn't live very long from the hard labor and trauma so he knew his days were numbered. He saw what happened to his family when they rebelled or resisted or even  _hesitated_  to do what they were told. Pike grew up knowing nothing beyond submissiveness and fear. 

Sapphira did all she could to try and help him see differently despite their dark circumstances. It was her constant struggle as a mother to encourage her son that he was more than a tool, more than an animal, more than a number.

"Why'd you make me a cake?" Pike asked on his fifth birthday. He sounded confused, one of his ears swiveled back.

Sapphira let out a small laugh despite the concern that churned in her stomach. "Because it's your birthday, Pike. We need to celebrate."

He asked the classic question of all children, his head tilting. "Why?"

She bit her lower lip for a moment as she tried to piece together a response that would get through to him, but luckily Veronica was in the kitchen as well and piped up from her workstation. "Everyone celebrates their birthdays, Pike." 

"But we're slaves," he explained as if it weren't obvious. "Slaves don't celebrate birthdays."

"If the master told you that, it is only his opinion and not fact," Sapphira countered soothingly. "Everyone has the right to celebrate their birthday, and you should not feel ashamed for eating a treat that was made for you, meant for you."

Pike still looked uncertain, his eyes lowering and his head following with flattened ears. His voice was barely above a whisper. "But what if you get in trouble?"

Her expression softened and she crouched down so she could be on eye level with her son, her hands finding place on his small shoulders. "Pike... a mother must always do what's best for her children. I would suffer through whatever pains it took to make you happy." She moved a hand to lift his chin up and his blue hues eventually followed to meet hers. "Alright? It's okay to have some cake. I even made your favorite, three-milk."

His ears perked forward excitedly. "Three-milk?"

"Yep!" She ruffled his hair and stood up to dish out the cake for them to eat. She felt her worry ease when she saw a glimpse of happiness in her son's face as he ate. It was nothing compared to the ideal childhood she dreamed of giving him, spent with days playing by the river and earnest hard work on the farm. But to see his eyes shine and his tail curl up was enough to keep her going. After a moment of silence between all of them, Sapphira prodded softly, "Pike?"

"...yes?" he answered mid-chew, his body stilling as he sensed the seriousness in his mother's tone. 

"Don't... don't allow your self-worth to be defined by the dictations of man. By their rules, you will always be sold short. You are so much more valuable than they could ever bargain for." She gave him a sad smile. "You understand?"

Pike blinked a few times but nodded, returning his attention to the cake. She wasn't sure if he truly took it to heart but she decided in that moment that she would remind him of that truth every night for as long as she had him. Every night before they went to bed she would remind him, to the point where he would say it along with her:

_"You matter. You are priceless. And there will always be someone in this world who loves you."_

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

Pike was eleven the first time his master went somewhere and took only him. He was confused about why he didn't take Veronica or even his mother. Veronica was older and better for carrying things and making suggestions on what would make Amara happy. He never took Pike anywhere unless his mother or sister came too but he didn't dare inquire his master about it.

They snuck through alleys and secret passageways within bars and Pike had an inkling of where they were headed. Dread suddenly consumed him with the thought that his master was going to sell him. What had he done wrong? What could he have done better? What was the last thing he said to his mother and sister?

They ended up in a physician's office and Pike's fear only solidified deep in his stomach like a stone. They were here to have a doctor evaluate his physicality so Volkihar would have a price estimate. Pike was shaking and it took the elvish female doctor's soothing words and occasionally the command of his master to get him to do what was asked. It was a very basic checkup where the doctor tested his senses, listened to his heartbeat, and let a small amount of blood which she quickly healed with magic.

"Sir, I'm going to take his collar off real quick," the elf said more as a precaution than asking for permission. When she bended the mana to release the gold band around his neck, Pike exhaled a deep breath he didn't realize he was holding and felt himself relax. The collar was never too tight around his neck but it still felt oddly liberating to have the familiar presence removed. The only times in his life where the weight didn't lie around his neck were the rare moments it malfunctioned or needed to be adjusted as he grew. He felt the strange desire to find a mirror so he could examine the severity of the scars he knew were branched there.

The doctor felt along his neck and told him to swallow and then deeply inhale and exhale a few times. His breadth of freedom was short lived when the collar was once again clasped around his neck, and Pike felt a strange reassurance at having the weight returned.

The checkup seemed pretty standard until the doctor requested he take off all his clothes. When Pike hesitated, still trying to process that the doctor did in fact just ask him to strip down, she offered to do it for him but Volkihar cut in and ordered him to obey. Pike slowly peeled off his layers, not daring to make eye contact with either of the elves. Choosing not to look at them somehow made his complete nudity more bearable.

Despite the extensive embarrassment, Pike found it odd that he was feeling more self-conscious about his  _stripes_  than anything else. He wasn't sure why - both the elves had markings that also adorned their skin. In addition to the standard elvish markings by the eyes, Volkihar's were a deep purple that curved around his forearms while the woman had a bright orange that marked up her collarbone and the backs of her hands. Perhaps it was because the only markings of his that were ever visible were the ones on his face, occasionally the ones on his upper arms. Perhaps it was because his markings were exotic and he assumed they were eyeing him like a rare work of art. Perhaps it was simply because he felt like his wild stripes gave more validity to the notion that he was just a cat compared to the elves' elegant designs.

As the elf looked him over he thought his discomfort would consume him but there wasn't exactly anything he could do about it. At least in the midst of the sluggish torture, he learned something new.

"You can discern a lot about a khaliit's health just by looking at their claws," the doctor explained to Volkihar as she held one of Pike's feet, forcing the claws from his toes with some pressure. "When they're nice and clear like this that means they're getting all the nutrients they need."

Pike made a mental note to check his mother and Veronica's claws.

When she was finally done and he was told he could put his clothes back on, relief flooded his chest temporarily. He froze while pulling on his shirt when the doctor asked something he wasn't expecting.

"He seems perfectly sound. Has he gone into heat yet?"

"Yes, his first time was about two weeks ago," Volkihar replied.

Pike didn't hear the rest of their conversation as he sat there wondering why they would start discussing his heat cycles. He put the rest of his clothes back on with trembling hands as worry began to consume his thoughts. He wanted nothing more than to go home and part of him was tempted to curl up somewhere in the corner. The closest thing he could do for comfort was wrapping his arms around his waist. When the nurse asked about his price, his ears finally trained back towards their discussion.

"How much was he worth?"

"His mother was pregnant with him when I bought her for 275,000."

"Hmm... judging by his markings and coloring I'd say he'd be worth at least 175,000 or even as much as 250. Even if an offspring only received half his traits you'd probably be able to get around 60 for each kit, easily. Exotic slaves are hard to find and in high demand."

_Wait, so the master isn't selling me? What is this talk about kits??_

"Would it be easier to pay for a dam or just buy a female khaliit?"

"With your income, it'd be safer to just buy your own. You wouldn't have to split the earnings with the owner of the dam. The kits would also be healthier and therefore worth more if they lived in the presence of both the dam and sire."

"Is Renella and Tasimir the better place for buying right now?"

"Tasimir would have more interest in khaliit at the moment."

Pike didn't notice the rest of their conversation, his brows furrowed as he pieced together the exactness of his master's plan. He was smart enough to know Volkihar was using  _breeding_  terms. He could connect the dots. Why the master needed even more money was beyond him, but he figured Volkihar could make easy money by forcing him to have children to sell and all because of his markings and blue eyes. The thought made him sick and he hadn't even reached the horrific realization about what he'd be forced to do with a female khaliit stranger. 

Although he wasn't expecting any kind of conversation on the trip back home since the master only saw him as a tool (or a horse, apparently), Pike still felt an uneasiness in his stomach and a need to yell or cry or break something. He knew that if he did anything to reflect the emotional turmoil welled up inside him he'd receive a nasty shock from his collar and he didn't have the energy to deal with that right now. He kept his tears back by biting his lower lip and focused on the blur of trees outside the carriage window as he anxiously sunk his nails into the flesh of his arm.

As soon as he reached the kitchen he ran to his mother's side and clung to her as he sobbed into her apron. She was covered in flour but he didn't care.

"Pike honey, what happened? Did the master hit you??" She tried to pry him off of her to examine his face but when he shook his head against her stomach she gently pressed, "Where did he take you?"

"The master took me to see a physician," he mumbled.

Sapphira's spine grew cold. Owners never took in their slaves for physical checkups unless they were taking them in to be evaluated, which could only mean one of two things. "What did they say?"

"I'm healthy," he moaned as if it were a death sentence.

"I knew that much, sweetie." She chuckled softly to lighten the mood as she stroked his head to try and ease him through his sobs. "Do you know why?"

Pike didn't want to answer.

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

][ [music](https://youtu.be/uU7rnTG9QOA) ][

 

"Master, permission to speak freely?"

Volkihar let out an annoyed sigh from his desk where he sat. "Yes, what is it?"

Sapphira fully entered the master chambers and stood at the side of his desk. "Why are you breeding Pike? What could you possibly need that much money for?"

"That is none of your concern-"

"My son is my concern! There is nothing more you can give Amara that money can buy! Don't you see that?"

"What would you know about winning the affection of the upper class?" Volkihar's hand twitched, a habitual tick which Sapphira learned had meant he was considering giving her a zap. "Besides, I'm doing this as a favor to Kallis. He had his eyes set on buying you, but out of the generosity of my heart, I told him I could instead give him a khaliit with a likeness to you, in turn keeping you with your son."

"...Kallis wanted to buy me?" A shudder ran through her spine, causing her tail to flick. She had seen the man at parties - he would have used her solely for entertainment and pleasure. This information changed her perception of the situation but she still felt disturbed. She didn't like the idea of Pike becoming a father to a child he would never see again who would only know a life of suffering. She realized with a bitter taste in her mouth that there was nothing she could do about it and that such a dismal future was the only one her son could ever know.

"He was persistent. In his desperation, he even tried buying Veronica... but she's much too useful to me to give away."

Sapphira felt her claws itch to unsheathe at the way Volkihar spoke of her daughter as if she were a pretty hammer only to be used on golden nails. "So you think breeding Pike is a better alternative? It'll be years before the child is... of any use to Kallis. It would be better for him to just go and buy his own damn khaliit sex slave!"

"Kallis prides himself on obtaining only the finest." He frowned. "He's convinced there's no better combination than your specific markings and eye color, and your son is an exact replica of that."

"So it all comes down to what's considered  _exotic..._ " she growled. Sapphira was considered a beauty among her own kind and she had many suitors, but that had nothing to do with the color of her eyes or stripes. Most khaliit didn't care about markings - it was akin to a human getting excited over how many freckles another had. It seemed pointless to her. A part of her wanted to offer that the master sells  _her_  to Kallis in hopes of sparing Pike of such a fate, but Sapphira reckoned Volkihar would eventually breed her son anyways and then he wouldn't have his mother anymore. She regrettably had to admit she was grateful Volkihar had insisted on keeping her. "Can... Sir, if I may request it, can you at least wait until Pike is a bit older? He may be capable of reproducing now but that certainly doesn't mean he's ready."

Volkihar was quiet a moment and her heart fluttered at the idea that he could be considering her proposal. "You said so yourself," he began darkly, "it'll be  _years_  before the child is of any use to Kallis. Logically, starting sooner would be better than later. Especially considering it might take a few tries until an offspring inherits an exact resemblance." 

Her ears drooped, her gaze falling to the floor. The master would force Pike to breed with a stranger until one looked exactly like him. None of her children looked exactly like her until Pike and he was her  _fifth_ child. "You were going to do this to him regardless of Kallis, weren't you..." It was less a question and more a resentful accusation.

"I am a businessman, Sapphira," he said simply. "Of course I'm going to invest in obviously advantageous assets."

Despite the fact she wanted to scream that her son wasn't an  _asset_  to exploit, her tone was still vile. "You  _have enough money._ What more could you possibly want?"

"You should know what I want," he said coolly.

Her expression changed from a controlled anger to a dissatisfied glare. "Sir, with all due respect this will not help you charm Amara. The reason you can't win her love is because you are giving her something in which you have an abundance. True genuine love comes from  _sacrifice,_ and you aren't sacrificing  _anything_ for her."

She was surprised when Volkihar lowered his dark brows and actually looked her in the eyes with a pained expression. He seemed reluctant to ask the question but his curiosity got the better of him. "Since you know so much, then what would you suggest I...  _sacrifice_... for her?"

"The one thing that is limited for everyone: time." Her face softened but it wasn't quite sympathetic. "For the longest time I thought my husband was just like everyone else, trying to win me with all these displays and gifts that suitors presented me, but I eventually learned that... he worked  _so hard_  to make or obtain those gifts for me. He had nothing to give but he gave it all anyways." Even the ring he proposed to her was nothing but a tied up piece of a reed stalk, but she knew Kahedin spent days getting it for her. The reed was a magical plant that was a vibrant red during the day but glowed a faint cyan at night. She learned that he had spent days traveling to find it since they were so hard to find. His humble proposal meant more to her than the worth of any kind of precious gems.

"Master, you can't buy Amara, no matter how good your intentions may be. You have to  _earn_ her love, and that comes from work, patience, and sacrifice. You've clearly got the patience part down, but you need to work a little harder and find something more valuable than your gold to give her. Something more meaningful."

His expression softened as he soaked in her words and she could never recall her master looking so  _vulnerable._ He seemed to realize this pretty quickly when he rapidly blinked and the familiar hardness returned to his sharp features. "Very well. I will think on your words." Before Sapphira could so much as open her mouth to respond, he cut her off with a lifted hand and a blood-curdling command.

"You will return to my chambers tonight. Perhaps then, you can further persuade me."

She felt a bile churn in her stomach, the forced words feeling heavy as they left her lips and bound her more strongly than the collar around her neck.

"If it's good by my master."

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

Pike had never felt more dread in his life than when he first met Nyma. Even though his mother said she had a word with the master it seemed it changed nothing. Volkihar came home with a blonde khaliit girl a few years older than Pike, and he would admit she was pretty but that barely eased the knots in his stomach or made the situation any less disparaging.

"I thought you spoke with the master!" he blurted when he was alone in the kitchen with his mother.

"I did, but..." Sapphira took a shaky breath. "He never agreed to anything... but I was so certain my words got through to him. Yet it still wasn't enough... I'm so sorry honey..." She moved to pull Pike into an embrace, her angry tears flowing as he felt the powerlessness of being unable to protect her family.

He closed his eyes and buried his face into his mother's shoulder. "What's..." He started to shake as he tried to voice his fears. "What's going to happen now?"

She was quiet a moment as she tried to console him with gentle strokes on his head. "You're... going to have to get really close with Nyma, I'm afraid..."

His tears began to turn into something more akin to anger as well. "But I don't  _want_ to. I don't want  _anything_ to do with her! I don't want-  _I can't_  do it. I  _can't,_ mom..."

She knew her son didn't have a choice. Even if he and Nyma resisted to fulfill the master's wishes, he would punish them until they complied. Pike was old enough to understand what disobedience to the master meant. He remembers the day with painful clarity even if he didn't fully understand what was happening.

He saw that such resistance resulted in his father's death.

 

 

][ --- ][ 

 

 

When Volkihar's mansion was under siege, Pike thought it was some lucid dream. Men and women in suits of armor swarmed the building, shouting commands and throwing spells. Only when he realized that they weren't attacking the slaves did he notice they were royal guards of the king. When a khariit approached his family in the kitchen, she took off her helmet and lifted her hand for some kind of signal. An elven guard cast magic with his hands, causing Pike's collar and the collars around his family and Nyma to unlatch with a resounding clack. 

"We have arrested Lord Volkihar for his crimes, thus you are all free to go," the khariit explained. 

Pike pulled off the two halves of his collar and held them in his hands in disbelief. He looked up at the guard's sincere brown eyes and asked skeptically, "What do you mean?" He was waiting for some kind of catch or for her to say they were being transferred to a different master or something more believable than that they were simply  _free_.

"Harkon Volkihar bought and owned slaves and that's illegal in Aurita," she answered. "I'm surprised he's gone this long under the radar, but alas, Aurita is a large country, he lives in a secluded mansion up in the mountains, and many guards, unfortunately, are persuaded by gold."

"If you couldn't find us for twelve years, how were you able to find us now?" Sapphira asked, her tone only curious.

"The one who sold the blonde girl," the khariit flicked her wolfish tail towards Nyma, "was actually a double agent. Even had a tracking spell on her."

"That explains why he was so nice to me..." Nyma muttered in awe.

Sapphira suddenly fell to her knees, bending over completely as she buried her face into her hands and sobbed, her collar falling off with a loud clatter to the floor. Pike and Veronica were on either side of her and locked worried gazes as each of them held onto her. "Mom...?" Veronica inquired softly. After a moment she sat up enough to pull in both her kids for an embrace, her tear-stained cheeks a sign of relief and peace. Pike eventually sighed and yanked Nyma in for the group hug since it felt awkward excluding her.

The guards left them to have a moment as they searched the rest of the mansion for any more illegal dealings. Sapphira and Veronica left the kitchen to find the khariit woman while Pike and Nyma stayed behind. Pike was wondering what he should take with him but he was lost. It all felt too surreal. Would they still live here? Where would they go? He knew nothing beyond the mansion's walls. He didn't exactly  _own_  anything - everything he had was technically the master's. He kept returning to the golden collar which sat on his bed. It was the only thing that was truly his, and the only thing he would take.

"What are you going to do now?" he asked hollowly to the girl across from him. 

"I... I don't know," Nyma admitted, her blue eyes falling to the floor. "I don't know a life outside of this, either."

They were quiet for a long time, but the silence was never awkward between them. Pike and Nyma had learned to endure awkward silences well. She too, was born into slavery but Pike had to count his blessings. He at least stayed with part of his family and remained in a fairly stable situation despite his master's cruelty. Nyma had been bought and sold to so many different masters she had lost count. She didn't know the meaning of family. Despite the strange situation of their circumstances, Pike wanted to offer to her that they could become her family - in a way far different than what their master ever intended. 

"You could stay with us if you want," he offered, his tone somber. A part of him rejoiced at the thought of never having to see Nyma again, but deep in his heart he also ached for her and wanted to offer some semblance of a better life than the hell she endured. The freedom alone should have provided that but he felt the aching need to extend an invitation. He didn't want to be another in the long line of people in Nyma's life who had completely forgotten her. He was willing to live with the constant reminder of better-forgotten memories if it meant making her life a little less painful. He diverted his gaze from her, his chest feeling tight. "But... I understand if you want to leave. I don't know what my family will do but I just... I don't want you to feel like you're being abandoned again. You can stay with us. You and I can start over... if that's what you'd like. Because you  _do_  matter. You are priceless. And there will always be someone in this world who loves you."

A sniffle caused him to look up and see Nyma was crying, her face a pained expression. " _Thank you_ , Pike. That is..." she took a shaky breath, "That is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. I'm not sure what I'll do but... I will definitely consider it."

He offered her a nod with a pained smile, leaving her to her thoughts.

As soon as Sapphira found the khariit guard, she blurted the question that burned into her mind. "Is it possible for you to find the rest of my family?"

"Oh no... you were separated?" she asked with creased brows.

"I have two sons who went to a different master and a daughter who went to another." She lifted her hands and closed her eyes a moment. "I know - I know it's asking a lot, but if there is even a  _chance_  that you could-"

"I will find them," she cut in decisively.

Sapphira blinked her eyes open, her ears flicking in surprise. "You...what?"

The khariit held out her hand. "You may call me Olia. I am the best tracker under King Samuel's guard, and I swear to you on my life I will find the rest of your children."

She grasped Olia's hand with both her own but quickly pulled her in for a tight hug, throwing the khariit off by surprise. "Thank you. You have already done more than you can possibly imagine."

"You are more than welcome," Olia replied while returning the embrace.

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

][ [music](https://youtu.be/CjbTEqSdZG4) ][

 

"How is this any different than what we did last time?"

"This is an orange cake, the last was lemon. Honestly Pike, I thought you were more observant." Sapphira chuckled.

"No I mean..." He sounded hesitant. "How we used to live."

She stopped, blinking a few times before she set down her icing pipe to properly look at her son across from her. "You mean serving Lord Volkihar verses the Telcontars?"

He nodded.

"You don't get beaten when you're not perfect, that's certainly a big difference." The bitterness left her tone as the emotion hit her. She shook her head softly as troubled tears started to glisten in her eyes. "The difference is that we're  _free."_

"We're still doing kitchen work though. And other housework."

"That is true. But we're doing it as  _servants,_ not  _slaves._  It's..." She frowned slightly as she tried to piece together her words in a way her twelve-year-old son could understand. She moved around the table and stood next to Pike, lifting her hands to hold his face, her thumbs stroking the markings on his cheeks. "The  _difference_ , Pike, besides a much nicer, kinder way of living, is that you could run away from here, past those castle walls and live whatever life you'd like without a collar killing you." She paused and let out a soft laugh, adding, "Please don't actually do that though." She didn't want him to get any irrational ideas but she also wanted him to understand that he was not restricted to live within the walls of their new home.

"You are not the Telcontars' property. You belong to no one. We work here because we  _want_ to, not because we're being forced. The fact that we're still doing kitchen work is simply because that's what I'm good at. We could work at a small bakery or even a restaurant, but wouldn't you rather make cakes for a king? We live a good life here, sweety, and it's not because of the abundance of food or the lavish commodities. It's because we're free." She raised a hand to gently rub one of his oversized ears (he'd grow into them eventually), a sad smile forming on her lips. "The greatest difference we could ever ask for is our freedom. Do you understand?"

"... I think so." Pike purred in agreement. "It  _is_ much nicer here."

Sapphira laughed. "I would hope you'd at least notice that difference! It's definitely much more obvious than lemons to oranges." She released her hands and returned to her side of the table where she continued piping the cake. She blinked back tears, her gaze troubled. "I'm sorry your childhood was robbed from you... if there was anything I could have done to change everything, I... I would have done it."

Pike had returned to peeling oranges, his brows furrowed. "I don't think there's anything you could have done, mom. The collars prevented us from doing anything against our master. And it's not like we could use mana to release it. The only thing you could have done... was probably  _kill_ our master... which would have been impossible." 

"... I tried," she admitted, causing Pike's ears to perk in surprise. "I nearly poisoned them all one night. The asphyxiation would have kept them from shocking any of our collars... but he had a greater tolerance than I anticipated..."

"...Mom?" He was hesitant as he saw his mother's arms begin to shake. She set down the icing and pressed her hands into the table. Pike moved around and held one of her trembling hands with both his own. His mother just admitted to attempted murder and he didn't know what to think. "Mom... why? He could have  _killed_  you for doing tha-"

"Because I  _love you,_  Pike." Hot tears followed along the lines of her crimson markings. "I was helpless to watch your father die... I couldn't bear - to lose you or your sister too." She sniffled, letting out a heavy exhale. "Sometimes... sometimes the impossible, such as taking a life, becomes easy... if it's for the ones you love." 

His lips pressed into a thin line. "Were you scared?"

"Terrified." She had gained control of her shaking and stood up straight. "But that didn't weaken my resolve. However... I couldn't attempt it anymore because Volkihar was on to me and he bought Rolo. I couldn't murder the taste tester, a fellow slave who suffered the same as us. So I did whatever else I could to make you and your sister happy."

"...I appreciate that," he answered heavily. "I can't imagine what it might have been like without you there, or worse, to have neither you or Veronica..."

"You thinking about Rae?"

He nodded. "I don't even  _know_  her, have never even  _seen_ her and I still... I miss her. I feel like she should be here. Instead she's completely alone... she doesn't have you or a sister or a brother to endure through things with..."

Sapphira moved her arm to wrap around his shoulders. "We'll find the rest of your siblings one day. Olia and King Samuel personally made it a promise to me. I know Olia and her troops are out there looking for slaves to free and I'm certain she'll find them because she found us. Volkihar was the most cautious about hiding his slaves. If she found us, she can find anyone."

"I hope you're right," he said, a part of him coming to the dark realization:  _if they're not already dead._

 

 

][ --- ][

 

 

Pike ran and ran.

He ran past people who called out to him, wondering why a random castle kitchen boy was running through the town. He ran through crowds of people in the market streets, too many colorful sights and sounds he had to ignore. He ran past the gate and beyond, as far from the castle as he could get without stopping for breath. When he reached the top of a hill panting, he turned to look out at the glorious expanse of the city of Arus laid before him and fell to his knees and sobbed. 

_You could run away from here, past those castle walls and live whatever life you'd like without a collar killing you._

He had to see it for himself. 

He had to  _feel_ it. 

He didn't realize how something he had never known he could suddenly feel so strongly. It was the relief of a burden far heavier than the collar he once wore, something he could never understand was there until it was gone. He felt like a new creature with infinite paths laid before him. He wasn't born a slave and destined to die as one. He was born a slave but would die however he well pleased. 

Pike looked at the glistening white castle and felt a yearning in his heart he had never experienced before. He felt at peace as the tears fell down his face and he came to realize a beautiful truth that was now part of his life.

He was  _free._

This was his  _home_.

And there, his family truly  _lived._

 


End file.
